Agnes Scott College Water Action Plan Page | 1
Agnes Scott College Water Action Plan:
Reducing Agnes Scott’s Water Footprint
Spring 2012
Sustainability Mission Statement
As part of our college mission to live honorably, we accept the challenge of environmental stewardship, commit to education and leadership in sustainability and seek to balance what the college takes from and returns to the world’s natural resources.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
Sustainability at ASC…...... 3 ASC Water Plan...... 3 Financing and Next Steps...... 4 Water Footprint...... 4 ASC Water Footprint...... 4
ASC Water Consumption per building…………………………………………………………………………….6
Potable Water Use - Benchmarking with Other Universities ...... 11 Strategies for Achieving Water Sustainability...... 11Strategies in Focus...... 11 Potable Water.…...... 12 Wastewater...... 14 Bottled Water...... 15 Financing…...... 16 Green Revolving Fund...... 16 Conclusion ...... 17
Suggestions for the Future….………………………………………………………………………….…………….17
Current Projects Underway………………………………………………………………………………………….17
Appendix A: ASC Meter Map……………………………………………………………………………………………………19
Executive Summary
Sustainability at Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College’s (ASC) mission is to educate women to think deeply and live honorably. This community has become a living laboratory of campus-wide commitment to justice, courage, respect and responsibility through policies and practices designed to model these values. These practices have provided the campus community with ongoing opportunities for reflection, deliberation and action. As part of ASC’s mission, we build the pathways to help equip students with the knowledge and skills to contribute to a sustainable future. We are committed to education and leadership in our curriculum as well as in the community. Agnes Scott College seeks to balance what our campus takes from and returns to the world’s natural resources.
Sustainability has been an initiative at Agnes Scott College since 2007, when President Elizabeth Kiss signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) as a charter member and joined the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). After creating an official Climate Action Plan, the college has made a commitment to be climate neutral by the year 2037. In additional to incorporating a Sustainability & Environmental Studies minor into the curriculum, with the help of the Jesse Ball DuPont foundation, a sustainability fellow was hired beginning in 2008. Beginning in 2010, the college joined the Billion Dollar Challenge with the creation of a green revolving fund.
In 2011, the university expanded its focus to energy and water conservation and this ASC Water Plan is part of that sustainable vision.
ASC Water Plan
The ASC Water Plan addresses water conservation through phases of Agnes Scott’s campus water infrastructure, as well as through research and behavioral education of students[1].
This broad based plan for water sustainability extends over three major focus areas: potable water, wastewater and bottled water. The plan is structured to be approached in a phases through retrofitting and renovations, behavioral change and innovative projects. This plan is structured with the intent of Agnes Scott being a responsible member and preserving the community watershed. Ultimately, the purpose of this plan is to reduce ASC’s water footprint in the Chattahoochee River and any other watersheds that may be affected indirectly. From this point forward, Agnes Scott College has a goal to reduce total potable water consumption by 15 percent from the original 2009 baseline. We hope to reach this goal in the next five years, checking annually to track changes. In addition, the campus will strive towards reducing the water pollution in runoff and reduce the use of bottled water on campus.
This plan summarizes the strategy Agnes Scott will follow to achieve the water conservation goal; the water audit data, specific projects that will unfold on campus and the policies on campus that will reflect this plan. The College will need to occasionally need to update and revise the ASC water plan to help with reduction with changing technologies, students or college policies. This policy will reflect similar approaches as the ASC Climate Action Plan.
Financing
To achieve the water conservation goals as well as the other climate action plan steps, Agnes Scott has begun a green revolving fund[2]. Once initial startup funds have been collected, this fund will allow for investments in water reduction through renovations or fixture retrofitting projects across campus. The college also expects to use grants, donor opportunities and rebate programs to gain a budget for water efficiency projects.
Water Footprint
In order to set a precise strategy for water conservation, the college conducted a water audit assessment of the campus in 2009. A first year seminar class measured the flow rates of water fixtures in campus buildings as a class project. The results collected by the class acted as baseline for data which would further be examined more closely beginning in 2011.
To best examine the water use on campus, the idea of using a water footprint, can best illustrate the water consumption on campus. The Office of Sustainability uses potable water data as a way to determine the consumption amount for the campus.
ASC’s Water Footprint
Water usage data was obtained from the available Dekalb County Water bills and the campus water meters[3]. These data were analyzed by total usage by building and cost per building from the year 2009. Throughout the collection of data, problems arose in terms of the location of certain water meters or missing water bills. The consumption data shown on the water bills is an important factor in being able to distinguish the most accurate number of consumption for our water footprint. The missing data caused a setback in the completion of the collection of our campus’ water consumption data; however, knowing some information from previous months for in the data has allowed us to make the most accurate estimate for the buildings needing consumption data.
Figure 1: ASC Water Consumption FY09
Total Annual Water Consumption (in gal) / 12,898,693Total Annual Cost for Campus Water Use / $104,524
Total Annual Water Consumption per ASC member (per Academic year[4]/ gallons) / 6,037
Total Annual Cost per student (per Academic year/gallons)
Total Annual Cost per ASC faculty/staff (per Academic year/gallons)
In 2009, ASC’s total annual water consumption was 12,898,693 gallons (gal), which amounted to a total cost of $104, 524 per year for the campus. The annual water consumption per ASC member is approximately 6, 037 gal per academic year. This was determined by accounting for 934 students, 244 staff members and 137 faculty members totaling to 1315 ASC members; and academic year of approximately 227 days annually. Agnes Scott is a full residential campus meaning all students reside on campus throughout an academic year. This information can help better understand the large amount of consumption coming from the residence halls. This indicator helps identify the areas of large water use on Agnes Scott’s campus. The water usage data were categorized by the usage of each building. The two biggest water users on campus are the residence halls and academic/office buildings (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: ASC Water Consumption
The water footprint also provides a detailed snapshot of water consumption in different buildings across campus (see Figure 3). It allows ASC to identify trends in water consumption across campus, and identify target buildings in which to prioritize potential projects for water conservation. It is known that the residence halls on campus use almost half of the total water consumption on campus. The buildings with the highest amount of consumption such as Winship and Walters Halls would be considered target buildings in which we might choose to retrofit fixtures first among the residence halls on campus. The Woodruff Athletic building is also a large consumer of water. With an Olympic size pool in the facility this building can be considered a target building, however, innovative ideas will be needed for this building in order to combat the seasonal usage of the building as well as the swimming pool as a major factor in the consumption. Although the water consumption data for certain building still remains incomplete resulting in formulating an estimate, the consumption numbers for all buildings on campus still give us a greater idea of which buildings to focus on when the retrofits and renovations take place.
Figure 3: ASC Building Consumption
Looking at individual buildings will not only help us determine target buildings but also identify patterns of water use during summer and academic months of the year. Below are a series of charts representing the average water consumption from 2007-2010 of target buildings on campus and possible assumptions as to the pattern identified in the graph. The first series of graphs are academic building and the second series is of residential halls.
In the above two graph, both Bullock and the Dana Fine Arts Building have similar patterns of water consumption. Both of these buildings are strictly classroom buildings, therefore, water consumption in these buildings should be lower than other campus buildings. After noticing this issue of higher consumption during the summer months, we contacted our facilities department. In the summer, water is consumed to keep the cooling towers full so that they can absorb heat from the chillers and disperse it to the atmosphere. The cooling is done by evaporation of the water, so there is a fairly large demand of water. This clarification explains why the water consumption is higher during the summer months in order to help cool the buildings during the hot weather.
In the above graph, Alston, the student center, and McCain, our campus library, are both on one water meter resulting in the water consumption data for these buildings to be shared. With an alternative dining option in the student center, it can be understood that a higher usage of water would be used for food preparation during the months in which students are on campus. February in particular, is one of the few months during an academic year in which students are on campus during the entire month.
One of the largest consuming buildings on campus, Woodruff, is the athletic facility for all sports and student athletics on campus. An assumption can be made for this high consumption which could result from the maintenance of the Olympic size swimming pool inside this building. There is also a large women’s and men’s locker rooms for all visitors and athletes. These activities taking place can explain a steady consumption across the entire year; however, the spike in consumption in September cannot be explained.
The following three buildings have similar patterns because of the primary student usage of these buildings.
Evans Dining hall and the two first year halls, Winship and Walters, have similar patterns throughout the year. Summer months (including July to mid August and mid May until June) as well as during winter break in December are lower consumption numbers because of the absence of students on campus. During the fall and spring semester, the water consumption rises. Both Winship and Walters have high water consumption, therefore, we hope to use these buildings as targets to reduce water using retrofitting and behavioral change.
The last graph is of the three theme houses located across the street from the main campus. These houses are treated as another form of residence halls, each house holding approximately six to eight people. These houses share the same pattern as the other residence halls above which results in higher consumption during the academic year and lower consumption during summer months. The consumption in these houses is still considered to be high which is why one of these houses was chosen for the Eco House project, described later in this plan.
Water Footprint- Benchmarking with Other Universities
There are very few comparable schools to Agnes Scott College (in terms of location and resident population) that also publish up-to-date water consumption data. As shown in Figure 4[5], ASC is among the lower total annual water consumption users. The chart of schools below represents schools as close in size to ASC as we have found, this includes residential students and non-residential part-time and fulltime faculty, staff and campus community. Although many of these schools listed have shown water conservation initiatives on their school webpage, none of these schools have published target goals or action plans.
Looking further at larger universities and colleges in which are different in size and location, Agnes Scott’s water consumption still remains relatively low considering the status as an all residential campus. The Agnes Scott Water Plan will lay out clear goals and tactics to reach a reduction in water consumption.
Figure 4: School Water Usage Benchmark
Strategies for Achieving a Reduction in Water Consumption
Water scarcity has become a global issue that is increasing every year. In the state of Georgia, in particular, droughts have been a major issue over the last decade causing much of the state to be put on water restriction. Agnes Scott’s campus is located in Dekalb County which receives water from the Chattahoochee River. In order to help conserve as much water for the rivers and lakes, universities need to make a framework to allow for innovative ideas and research to reduce as much water use as possible.
The ASC water footprint focuses on not only water consumption but the quality of water that returns to the local watershed. As mentioned previously, ASC’s water plan takes on three components to reduce the college’s negative impact on the local watershed.—Renovate, Reduce, and Innovate. Renovations in the campus buildings will be the initial component that will always be an ongoing project to help each building be updated with new fixtures such as low flow or dual flush bath fixtures. Next, reducing the amount water consumption on campus will implemented through education and behavioral changes with students, staff and faculty. Lastly, innovative ideas to help reduce water consumption and improve water quality will become possible with additional funding in the college’s future plans. These components will continue over time as a cycle such as with new technology advances or financing.
Below is an overview of ASC’s potential water plan goals and targets to help reduce water consumption and improve water quality in Dekalb County’s watershed.
Figure 5: ASC Water Consumption Goals
Potable Water / Wastewater / Bottled WaterRetrofit
/ Goal: Retrofit all fixtures on campus, where needed, to low flow fixtures and dual flush / Goal: Update existing water coolers and install new hydration stationsReduce
/ Goal: Reduce potable water consumptionTarget: Reduce 15% water consumption over the next 5 years / Overall Goal: To reduce the amount of contaminants coming from campus entering the watershed through ASC water system / Goal: To reduce the amount of bottled water use on campus
Target: Reduce bottled water use by 50% in 5 years
Innovate
/ Goal: With new financing, campus should implement new technologies for reducing water consumptionTarget: Future plans should include greywater systems and improving retention pond irrigation / Goal: Allow for new technologies for drinking water systems
Target: Have 100% use of water/hydration coolers without the use of bottles
Potable Water
Potable water can be defined as all water that is safe for human consumption that comes through pipes to all fixtures such as faucets, water coolers, toilets, etc. In many cases, any source that publishes their water footprint typically focuses on potable water consumed, as this type has the greatest potential for reduction and cost savings. Potable water, in most cases, will have the most understanding when educating the community and result in the most impact in water consumption.
Retrofit, Reduce & Innovate
Agnes Scott’s goal is to reduce its potable water footprint by an overall reduction of 15 percent in total annual water consumption (in gallons) over five years from FY09 baseline. The indicator for our target is total annual water consumption because it will provide an overview of the total water used on campus per year during this time frame.
In order to reach our target goal, the college has performed an audit of the campus buildings and the consumption to identify potential water savings with retrofits of fixtures to improve overall water efficiency. Many of the fixtures on campus are out of date and are not within the standardized flow rates. For instance, many of the faucets around campus are higher than the average 2.5 gallon per minute (gpm) flow rate. This issue can be resolved through retrofitting fixtures to a lower gpm flow rate. After consideration, the residential buildings will take priority because they were found to make the largest impact on water consumption on campus. The chart in Figure 6 shows a possible calculation of cost savings with the installation of low flow showerheads and faucets. The cost savings for replacing all showerheads on campus could be approximately $28,221. With financial consideration, the first year dorm halls will be retrofitted in the first round of renovations in order to begin the behavioral changes among the first year students when they first arrive on campus. The first year halls will have retrofits of showerheads, faucets and potentially toilets and hopefully the payback period for these projects should be within a year’s time.