UC Merced meeting water reduction target, university reports

UC Merced is exceeding its goal of a 25 percent decrease in water consumption, the university reported Thursday.

The new campus was already designed to use less water, as well as energy, than other sites in the University of California system. Officials said the campus has still been able to find places to cut water waste.

The campus is metered and has been mandated by Gov. Jerry Brown, as many cities have, to use 25 percent less water than in 2013, which is considered a baseline for all reduction efforts.

It was easier to conserve in the summer when the campus was mostly empty, according to a news release. Officials said they are looking to ramp up the educational effort for students to maintain reductions while the campus is buzzing with activity.

“We really need to build on the conservation culture that already exists among our students,” Facilities Management’s Energy and Sustainability Director Zuhair Mased said in a news release. “At this point, we are going to have to rely on people’s behaviors to meet the governor’s mandate.”

The campus facilities team meets regularly to discuss water use, according to a news release. The real-time water use can also be checked at water.ucmerced.edu.

Michael Reese, vice chancellor for business and administrative services, said the school’s staff, faculty and student effort to conserve so far has been “impressive.”

“Today’s actions are setting the stage for the campus to remain on the cutting edge of water conservation as we embark on the 2020 Project,” he said, referring to the school’s next phase of expansion.

Some of the latest efforts to cut back on water use are:

• stopped watering the lawns in The Bowl; the grassy areas around Scholar’s Lane, Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center, the retention basin; and lawn patches near California Room
• installed an irrigation system that senses weather and moisture in the air and automatically holds back sprinkling when necessary
• did sprinkler work to add efficient fixtures and fix leaks
• removed many plants and filled planters with mulch
• added other efficient fixtures to sinks in campus housing.

This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 5:31 PM with the headline "UC Merced meeting water reduction target, university reports."