Spring Break
Univ. water council issues report, advice
Administration to read plan
CLAIRE MILLER
Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The University of Georgia's ad hoc task force on water resources culminated its research on the drought with the release of its water resources report on Friday, offering the administration short- and long-term recommendations for conserving water.
Tim Burgess, senior vice president for finance and administration, and provost Arnett Mace created the task force in October to assess the drought and generate measures "to achieve more effective water conservation on campus," according to the document.
The task force finished the report and sent it to Burgess and Mace late Thursday. The report's public release was postponed a day to give the task force the chance to finalize the details and submit it to the administration, vice president for public affairs Tom Jackson wrote in an e-mail Thursday night.
In the short term, the task force recommended measures to increase water efficiency in campus buildings. The University could outfit buildings with low-flow toilets and dual-flush valves, costing $450,000 but saving between 60,000 and 70,000 gallons a day - about $115,000 annually, the document states.
Other recommendations include conducting audits of buildings' water use to keep track of water pressure levels and posting monthly and yearly water use totals in buildings.
The task force included estimated costs and savings of some recommendations to give the administration a better idea of how they would positively affect the University in the long run, said Kathy Pharr, co-chair of the task force.
"You can see the payback," Pharr said. "The retrofitting of the toilets is expensive, but if the University saves $115,000 a year, you've paid for it in four years."
The short-term measures also included ways to encourage personal accountability for conserving water. Students, faculty and staff could use their own towels at the Ramsey Center, participate in competitions to see who can conserve the most water and bring their own water to campus for personal use. The University could also host information sessions and forums to continue the public dialogue on the drought.
The task force's long-term recommendations cover several areas, including landscaping, construction and even "worst-case possibilities." Some of the suggestions, such as planting drought-resistant plants and examining the use ultra low-flow urinals, are being implemented already, Pharr said, while others have not been discussed or enacted yet.
While the report listed more recommendations for ensuring water efficiency in buildings, the long-term section also includes administrative options, such as creating an Office of Sustainability. This office would oversee energy efficiency and water conservation across campus. Outlining an "Emergency Water Management Plan" to address emergency situations also made it into the report, along with measures the University could implement in a worst-case scenario.
In writing the recommendations, the task force took legal requirements into consideration, Pharr said.
Gov. Sonny Perdue issued two orders in October: one asked 61 counties across Georgia to reduce their water withdrawals by 10 percent, and the other asked state-owned facilities to reduce water consumption by 10 to 15 percent, the document states.
"We know that whatever is going to achieve the greatest savings … will be the target goal we'll be asked to meet," Pharr said.
She also said these recommendations are not concrete - Mace, Burgess and other members of the administration must review them and decide which ones to use.
"This should not be regarded as the University's plan," Pharr said. "This is a list of 50 recommendations to the senior administration, and they will take a week or two to read through it and talk it over with the president. Then policies will be made."
To view the entire Water Resources Report, visit http://www.uga.edu/WaterResourcesReport.pdf.
Tim Burgess, senior vice president for finance and administration, and provost Arnett Mace created the task force in October to assess the drought and generate measures "to achieve more effective water conservation on campus," according to the document.
The task force finished the report and sent it to Burgess and Mace late Thursday. The report's public release was postponed a day to give the task force the chance to finalize the details and submit it to the administration, vice president for public affairs Tom Jackson wrote in an e-mail Thursday night.
In the short term, the task force recommended measures to increase water efficiency in campus buildings. The University could outfit buildings with low-flow toilets and dual-flush valves, costing $450,000 but saving between 60,000 and 70,000 gallons a day - about $115,000 annually, the document states.
Other recommendations include conducting audits of buildings' water use to keep track of water pressure levels and posting monthly and yearly water use totals in buildings.
The task force included estimated costs and savings of some recommendations to give the administration a better idea of how they would positively affect the University in the long run, said Kathy Pharr, co-chair of the task force.
"You can see the payback," Pharr said. "The retrofitting of the toilets is expensive, but if the University saves $115,000 a year, you've paid for it in four years."
The short-term measures also included ways to encourage personal accountability for conserving water. Students, faculty and staff could use their own towels at the Ramsey Center, participate in competitions to see who can conserve the most water and bring their own water to campus for personal use. The University could also host information sessions and forums to continue the public dialogue on the drought.
The task force's long-term recommendations cover several areas, including landscaping, construction and even "worst-case possibilities." Some of the suggestions, such as planting drought-resistant plants and examining the use ultra low-flow urinals, are being implemented already, Pharr said, while others have not been discussed or enacted yet.
While the report listed more recommendations for ensuring water efficiency in buildings, the long-term section also includes administrative options, such as creating an Office of Sustainability. This office would oversee energy efficiency and water conservation across campus. Outlining an "Emergency Water Management Plan" to address emergency situations also made it into the report, along with measures the University could implement in a worst-case scenario.
In writing the recommendations, the task force took legal requirements into consideration, Pharr said.
Gov. Sonny Perdue issued two orders in October: one asked 61 counties across Georgia to reduce their water withdrawals by 10 percent, and the other asked state-owned facilities to reduce water consumption by 10 to 15 percent, the document states.
"We know that whatever is going to achieve the greatest savings … will be the target goal we'll be asked to meet," Pharr said.
She also said these recommendations are not concrete - Mace, Burgess and other members of the administration must review them and decide which ones to use.
"This should not be regarded as the University's plan," Pharr said. "This is a list of 50 recommendations to the senior administration, and they will take a week or two to read through it and talk it over with the president. Then policies will be made."
To view the entire Water Resources Report, visit http://www.uga.edu/WaterResourcesReport.pdf.
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