Spartan Daily

SJSU makes waves with water conservation award

This story originally appeared in the March 21, 2011 issue of the Spartan Daily.

A coalition of organizations concerned with water issues in the Bay Area recently recognized SJSU with a Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award.

The award, in the “organization" category, will be formally presented today at the Humane Society Silicon Valley in Milpitas.

It is a recognition of SJSU's efforts to reduce the amount of clean water wasted and to implement water recycling technology, said Peter Drekmeier, Bay Area program director for the Tuolumne River Trust, one of the organizations that presents the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards.

“San Jose State University has done far and away far more than any other organization to promote recycled water use,” Drekmeier said. “San Jose State University is not just one of our most impressive not just recipients this year, but in the history of the Silicon Valley Water Conservation Awards.”

Katherine Cushing, assistant professor of environmental studies and sustainability director for SJSU, said the award was a result of the attention SJSU has given this issue for some time.

“We’re thrilled to have the university’s efforts be recognized,” she said. “I think that for over a decade, the university has really been a leader in recycled water.”

Cushing said most of the credit should be given to Facilities Development and Operations, who put in most of the work in implementing these changes throughout the university.

“It’s really our facilities people who do most of the work,” she said.
In the past 10 years, SJSU has reduced its potable, or drinkable, water use by 40 percent, from 520 acre-feet per year in 2001 to 280 acre-feet per year in 2011, a difference of about 2,800 football fields, according to information from SJSU facilities and operations.

Energy Analyst Jared Isaacson said the reduction has come largely from the campus’ efforts to use recycled water in watering the South Campus athletic fields, for flushing the toilets in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library and controlling the temperature of the chilled water tower, a part of campus cooling system.

“There's huge quantities used in these cooling applications,” he said. “Twenty million gallons (are used) in cooling campus athletic fields.”

Recycled water is made available through the South Bay Water Recycling Program, which Isaacson said is an initiative brought about by the City of San Jose.

The program makes available the option to pipe dirty water to the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant. From there, Isaacson said the water goes through “an extensive treatment process” and can be piped back to the university in a separate piping system and used in applications where the water will not be drunk.

“We’re saving in the neighborhood of $100,000 per year in using the recycled water for these two functions, as compared to using potable water,” he said. “There’s significant cost savings.”

Isaacson said the initial cost of installing a separate piping system is one of the barriers that prevent companies and organizations from using this program, as it can be expensive and time consuming.

He also said the process is heavily regulated by the Department of Public Health to make sure the potable water and recycled water lines do not cross at any point.

Purple signs saying “non-potable water” mark places where recycled water is being used, such as the South Campus athletic fields sprinkler system and should not be drunk, Isaacson said.

The recent project to convert toilet-flushing water in the King Library to used recycled water received aid from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, which was enacted by Congress in response to the economic crisis in 2009.

“SJSU was one of the early adopters (of this program),” Isaacson said. “We’ve continued operating using recycled water and we’re expanding its use here on campus.”

Cushing said SJSU plans to convert most of its main campus landscaping to recycled water this summer.

Drekmeier said recycled water's practicality extends beyond immediate and environmental benefits.

“People consider recycled water climate-proof because a lot of the water we count on now might not be available in the future because of climate change,” he said. “San Jose State University is helping to protect its future water assets. It is going to be in much better shape than organizations that really aren’t thinking ahead.”

Evelyn Thorne, president of the SJSU environmental club, said she was glad SJSU is becoming sustainable.

“I’m happy to hear 40 percent has been reduced — I hope the number goes up,” Thorne said. “What we do affects the earth, and the earth affects us.”

Isaacson said he felt that implementing the use of recycled water was important, but he hoped the award would help spur the educational process and raise awareness of recycled water’s applications.

“We want people to know what is going on — we want people to understand recycled water and not be afraid of it,” he said. “You look at the water and it’s not gross. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

"We figure you don’t really need to use the same water for drinking that you do for watering grass. This is a big step for San Jose State’s water conservation program.”