UVA’s sustainability efforts have been heavily publicized: O-Hill dining hall going trayless, composting food waste, recycling. Water, however, is a different story.
Charlottesville Tomorrow reports that while UVA claims that its water consumption has decreased for six years in a row, that period spanned from 1999 to 2005. In fact, the University’s water usage has increased in the past three years.
Data from UVA’s Facilities Management Department show that total water usage has declined by 27.2 percent since 1999, at the same time that the University grew 35 percent in square footage. UVA buys its water mainly from the City of Charlottesville, which, in turn, buys it from the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority (RWSA).
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According to UVA’s Greener Grounds website, “water conservation efforts yielded a 4.5 percent, or 20 million gallon, reduction in usage in 2007-2008 from the prior year,” and lists what has been done around Grounds to conserve water. UVA has installed water-conserving washing machines in dormitories; repaired underground piping leaks; installed shower heads in housing areas to reduce water flow; and it has removed the pool at Memorial Gym.
Yet Charlottesville Tomorrow reports that UVA has used 489 million gallons for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, an increase of about 12 million gallons from the previous fiscal year.
UVA reports that the increase of about 8.3 percent in water usage between 2006 and 2007 is due, partly, “to a 5 percent increase in gross square footage plus an increase in the population of 0.6 percent.” UVA’s 2006 water per person consumption was 13,305 gallons, while 2007’s was 14,399.
Calls to UVA for comment were not returned by press time.*
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*UPDATE (11/25/08): After press deadline, UVA spokesperson Carol Wood e-mailed a statement about the University’s water consumption:
"The video upon which two recent news reports were based was made several years ago, reflecting information that was current at the time. It has since been removed from the University of Virginia’s "Sustainability" Web site. Cheryl Gomez, director of energy and utilities, said officials acknowledge that water use has increased over the last three years. In fiscal year 2006, usage increased by 4.8 percent over the prior year, and it was up another 5.9 percent in 2007, she said.
"We’re very transparent about this," Gomez said. …A just-completed report for fiscal year 2008 shows that water usage at the University increased by almost 21 million gallons, or 4.5 percent.
However, water usage in fiscal 2008 was down 26 percent compared to a decade ago, despite a 29 percent increase in gross square feet and a 15 percent increase in the number of faculty, staff and students. "We continue to benefit from the many water conservation initiatives that have been implemented," Gomez said."
