We are committed reducing growth-adjusted potable water consumption 20% by 2020 and 36% by 2025, when compared to a three-year average baseline of FY2005/06, FY2006/07, and FY2007/08. Our campus has a rich history of implementing and institutionalizing conservation & efficiency projects and programs on campus, which includes the use of recycled water on our campus.
Water Use
UC Santa Barbara per capita water consumption is ~23 gallons per person per day on the campus, which is an amazing feat. Goleta's residential per captia use average 55 gallons per person per day, and the State's per capita target is 110 gallons per person per day.
Recycled Water
UC Santa Barbara was an early adopter of the use of recycled water for landscaping irrigation, 90% of the campus is irrigated with recycled water, therefore augmenting our potable water use. We also dual-plumbed with recycled water 116 toilets in the San Joaquin Tenaya Towers, a 358 bed residential hall (first of its kind in Santa Barbara and was a permitting feat for our campus).
Lab Water Conservation
With funding from TGIF, LabRATS replaced 61 soft-plumbed single pass cooling systems in 2018-2019 saving 2.93 million gallons of water a year, the equivalent of the water 216 homes in Goleta use in a year. LabRATS is adding eco-saver units to 6 autoclaves in Fall 2019.
3%
of total potable water use is for irrigation & landscaping
Thanks to investments in recycled water, weather based irrigation systems, and efficient sprinklers, only 3% of our campuses total potable water use goes towards irrigation and landscaping.
23%
reduction in water use
Water consumption for the 2019/2020 academic year dropped 11% below UCSB's three-year baseline (FY2005/06, FY2007/08).
7%
of total potable water distributed in Goleta Valley
Despite our size, we only use ~7% of the total potable water distributed in the Goleta Valley.