Campus Water Uses and Potential Water Efficiencies

With recent increases in the price of water, saving water has become one of the main focuses for sustainability. The California Institute of Technology used 200,000,000 gallons of water in the year 2008; however the institute has never tracked this water to its destination within the campus. Using data collected from water meters on campus and from the utility company that supplies the campus with water, this research has produced a model that details how the water is distributed throughout campus. With this information, the institute can then identify the heaviest water users and implement measures that will reduce the water consumption on campus. Introduction: The green movement at the California Institute of Technology has made great strides in the past years. Most of the improvements that have been made concern improving electrical efficiency throughout the campus and reducing the carbon footprint. Previous efforts in this area include the installation of motion sensors to shut off lights, solar panels for cleaner energy, and energy efficient light bulbs. However, the institute may have overlooked the importance of water efficiencies and its environmental impact. In response to rising water costs and increasing water shortages in the Los Angeles area, the California Institute of Technology has proposed that water efficiency be one of its priorities in sustainability. As part of an ongoing movement to implement water efficiencies and study their environmental impacts, this report studied the distribution of water within the campus in order to determine areas in which water efficiencies may have the most impact on total water use. The results detailed the heaviest users as the central and satellite utility plants, which are responsible for providing campus with chilled water and electricity. Together, these two plants are responsible for 45% of the campus' water consumption. Thus, methods to improve efficiencies regarding the water consumption in the two utility plants would have the most effect on the total campus water consumption. This report was broken into two sections. The first section summarized the water distributions through the California Institute of Technology campus and the second outlined proposed areas in which water efficiency could be improved.