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Water Conservation Workgroups
Background
At the University of Connecticut, we recognize that drinking water supply is a precious and limited natural resource. In the vicinity of our main campus in Storrs and nearby Mansfield Depot campus, UConn owns two major wellfields. By safely managing and protecting these important groundwater resources, we operate the public water supply and distribution system for nearly 25,000 users. Users include not only the University community, but also several municipal facilities owned by the Town of Mansfield, more than a dozen commercial buildings, and about 100 private homes surrounding the campus. Although state regulators believe UConn’s water supply is adequate in the near term, the lack of additional drinking water supply sources is among the most limiting factors for economic development in Mansfield and the University’s continued growth beyond 2006. This situation makes water conservation an even more important aspect of environmental and economic sustainability at UConn.
While UConn has made substantial structural water conservation gains over the past 10 years, we can and should do more in our daily operations, activities and personal routines to reduce water use. Mostly through our extensive capital improvement program, UConn 2000, which began in 1995, the University has discovered and replaced leaking water lines and installed or retrofitted low-flow plumbing fixtures and appliances. These measures helped reduce water demand by 20% from 1989 to 2002, despite a corresponding 25% growth in the user population during that period, mainly from increased student enrollment. To date, UConn has made most of the major structural improvements that affect water use and must now conserve by improving management practices. As stewards of the land, UConn is charged with protecting both the quality and quantity of natural resources – we must act now to sustain our drinking water supply for future generations!
Water Conservation Goal
Implement best management practices or demonstration projects in each of the following five areas that either promote water conservation or conserve the amount of water used: (1) research/academic laboratories, (2) facilities and grounds maintenance, (3) farm services, (4) motor pool, and (5) dining services and residential life.
Water Conservation Action Plan Steps
- Work with UConn’s Architectural & Engineering Services Department to ensure that utility sub-metering (e.g., water supply and sewer system), scheduled to begin in 2004, happens expeditiously and in a manner that best enables UConn to begin accurately measuring, promoting and rewarding water conservation.
- Require water conservation measures to be incorporated into UConn’s grant application compliance review process for any proposed grant-funded research that would require consumptive water use (e.g., cooling water systems for lab equipment).
- Phase out “once-through” or single-pass cooling for lab equipment, air conditioning equipment and the steam plant – instead, promote closed-loop and forced-air cooling systems.
- Inventory current irrigation practices for grounds maintenance (by both Facilities Operations Dept. and Athletics Dept.) and identify possible opportunities for water conservation.
- Inventory current water use by Dining Services and Residential Life and identify possible opportunities for water conservation.
- Inventory current water use by the Motor Pool and identify possible opportunities for water conservation.
- Examine potential new purchasing specifications for equipment and appliances related to water conservation and efficiency standards.
- Consider ways to minimize irrigation such as native, non-invasive plants and landscaping, xeriscaping, hydrozones and smart-sprinkler systems.
- Re-visit possible use of “gray” water (treated discharge from UConn sewage treatment plant) or clean stormwater (e.g., roof runoff) for small-scale irrigation and plant watering; document any applicable regulatory restrictions, conditions or prohibitions.
- Develop system to ensure immediate reporting of leaking water lines and malfunctioning plumbing and toilets.
- Practice good maintenance by responding to reports of leaking water lines and malfunctioning plumbing and toilets within 24 hours and by checking all buildings four times per year.
- Quantify the water saved through use of the closed-loop “bubbler drinker” system in operation at the Poultry Barn, and consider the costs and benefits of installing these systems throughout the University’s chicken coops.
- Quantify and promote the water conservation that will be realized by the planned construction and operation (2005) of UConn’s 25 MW combined-cycle Cogeneration Facility, which will which will capture steam produced from generating electricity in order to provide heating & cooling, reducing cooling water discharges.
- Explore the feasibility of waterless urinals at certain locations and facilities.
- Collaborate with the EPAC Environmental Outreach Subcommittee, which has selected Conservation Awareness as one of its three priority initiatives for 2004 (i.e., water and energy conservation).
2005-2006 Initiatives:
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Implement best management practices or demonstration projects in each of the following five areas that either promote water conservation or conserve the amount of water used: (1) research/academic laboratories, (2) facilities and grounds maintenance, (3) farm services, (4) motor pool, and (5) dining services and residential life.
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Obtain baseline water use data for the University in the areas of research/academic laboratories, facilities maintenance, grounds maintenance, animal science and personal use.
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Establish residential, academic, athletic, and agricultural area-specific water conservation tactics.
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Meet with individual facility stakeholders to develop and begin implementing best management practices or demonstration projects that result in quantifiable water usage reduction.
2005 - 2006 Workgroup:
| Name |
Department |
| Nelly Abboud |
Civil & Environmental Engineering, Associate Professor |
| Patti Bostic |
Athletics Student Recreation, Specialist |
| Frank Labato |
Environmental Health & Safety, Director |
| Rich Miller |
Office of Environmental Policy, Director |
| Melanie Murphy |
OEP Intern; Agricultural & Resource Economics Undergrad Student |
| Mike Pacholski |
Facilities Management (Regional Campuses), Professional |
| Christopher Shores* |
Engineering Undergrad Student (*05/05 - Current) |
| Doug Stone |
Animal Research Services, Director |
| Andrea Vassallo* |
OEP Intern; Landscape Architecture Undergrad Student (*09/05) |
| Kate Wadach* |
OEP Intern; Environmental Policy Undergrad Student (*01/05 - 05/05) |
| Russell Ward* |
Engineering Undergrad. Student (*09/04-05/05) |
| Stefan Wawzyniecki |
Environmental Health & Safety, Manager |
| John Wheeler |
Animal Science, Farm Manager |
| Vaughn Williams |
Athletics Sports Operations, Executive Assistant |
2004 - 2005 Initiatives:
The basis of many outreach activities will be the furthered by the implementation of a complete water use monitoring system in all University buildings and facilities. The drive to install standardized water meters began in 2004 and continues into the present. This real-time data is now monitored and assessed on a regular basis for many UConn buildings – allowing for evaluation on current water use practices and areas of concentration for outreach efforts. The University plans to have most buildings monitored for water and energy usage by 2010.
The following is an outline of the background for the data collection and its progress, as well as examples of implementation of assessment findings and suggestions. Improvements will continue to be suggested and implemented as needed; this will further promote a positive and progressive image of the University to the campus and the surrounding community
Research and Data Collection
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Collect benchmark water use/meter data for selected facilities- Began in 2004
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Install water meters and implement continuous water use metering throughout campus buildings and facilities
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Meet with individual facility stakeholders to develop and begin implementing water conservation measures, strategies and action plans
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Present findings to full EPAC and/or C&BP Subcommittee and Water Conservation Workgroup
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Continue to establish residential, academic, athletic, and agricultural area-specific water conservation tactics.
Other Major Initiatives
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A waterless urinal was donated to the University and has been installed in Facilities. It was tested for a period of one month to measure the reduction in water usage.
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Dining Services began preparations for an inventory of current kitchen equipment that can be measured for water usage.
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Installed 522 Maytag Neptune, high efficiency – front load washing machines on campus. These washers will use 15-18 gallons per load, compared to the 30-32 with top loader machines. Based on the 2002 actual usage with top load washers, the University will save more than 2,600,000 gallons of water annually with the front load machines.
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Began installation of sub-metering in buildings on campus, which will be used to monitor areas for extreme usage/waste.
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Upgraded current watering system used for the chicken coops to install a closed loop system which will provide recycling of flowing water to prevent waste.
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