1. Reducing Water Consumption on StFX Campus Through Water Recycling & Low-Flow Alternatives
A Proposal by Megan Fudge, Ross Walker, Andrew Nicholson, Michelle Coleman, & Brent Doiron

2. Project Overview Background Information
Statement of Problem
Water is a precious resource
Only 3% of the earth’s water is fresh
In 2017, 180+ million litres of water used by StFX campus [2]
Needs to be protected and conserved
StFX Campus
Currently:
Dual-flush toilets- Schwartz School of Business
Low flow toilets- Mount Saint Bernard, Riley and O’Regan
Some compressors for cooling the steam boilers were changed from water cooled to air cooled

3. Project Overview Background Information cont...
2014 Energy Audit ( Siemens) [4]
Areas for improvement
Low flow toilets
Gravity urinal alternatives
Faucet aerators
Other Universities
Sacramento State University [7]
Faucet aerators - sinks
Monmouth University - Shower aerators [8]
University of British Columbia [6]
Harvests rainwater - irrigation and other purposes.
UBC Rainwater system- Thomas Industry Update [1]

4. Technical Approach Identified Needs & Changes
Step have already been taken
Significant amount of water still wasted on campus
Project Components
Aerated shower heads and faucets
Low flow toilets
Greywater collection system
Replacement of water cooled compressors
Objective - Reduce campus water consumption

5. Kitchen Faucet Aerator (2018) [3]
Showers
Install faucet aerators on all shower heads
How it Works
Mixes air with the water flowing through the faucet
Decreases the volume of water flow
Perceived pressure stays the same
Decreases flow from 9.5 L/min to 5.7 L/min
Reduces shower head water consumption by 40%. [4]
Kitchen Faucet Aerator (2018) [3]

6. Retrofitting Low-Flow Toilets
Toilets: 40% residential water consumption (CMHC, [10])
Traditional: 11-22L/flush
Low-flow: ~4.8 L/flush
Savings
Water savings: %
1 050 toilets on campus, ~800 to be replaced
~$500/toilet
~$ total cost

7. Gravity tank urinals in JBB (Ross Walker, 2018)

8. Gravity-Fed Urinals 24/7 continuous flow Constant “flushing” state
24% ( L) of James Bruce Brown’s water consumption
Each using L/day
2nd biggest water consumer
StFX environment
Defined peak usage times
Siemens Energy Audit (2014), [4]

9. Low-Flow, Manual-Flush Urinals Moving Forward
Flush only when used
Significant water savings
Cost beneficial
Moving Forward
Deeper examination of tradeoff between gravity-fed and low-flow urinals. Find out more about implementation locations for toilets for more solid numbers.

10. Grey Water Collection How it Works Collection of wastewater
Sinks, showers, toilets, etc.
Filtration system
Water is recycled into toilets and urinals
Application
Installed in one or multiple buildings
Practical - Reuse in same building as collection
Avoid extra cost of piping/transportation
Limitations
Water cannot be used for consumption or washing
Filtration does not make the water potable
Low Energy House (2018) [5]

11. Cooling System Replacement Physical Plant Building
Steam Boilers
Source of heat for majority of buildings
Located in Physical Plant building
Steam generated and pumped through pipes
Current Cooling Method
Compressors - two use water as coolant
Once through to drain
Water at low temperature is pumped into the compressor to cool the boiler
Alternative
Air cooled compressors
Eliminate need for water - reduce consumption
UN Water Conference (2014) [9]

12. Cooling System Replacement J. Bruce Brown (JBB) Building
Current Method
Eight water cooled growth chambers used in air conditioning units
Once through to drain - large water consumption
26% of all water consumption for the building
Approx. 3,500,000 liters of water used per year
Alternatives
Air cooled condenser units
Eliminate water being used in the current chambers
Water pumped to storage tank
Cooled, recycled, etc.

13. Financial Considerations
Produces savings of multiple types
Financial - reduced usage of resources
Fuel and Water
low flow toilets and faucet aerators
Main goal - water conservation and decreased environmental impact
Savings - recover capital cost of installation & fund further initiatives

14. Sample Calculation Aerated Shower Heads
Above: Estimate of cost savings based on average shower length and other figures provided by Facilities Management [2].

15. Greywater Collection System
New piping/infrastructure (store, treat, and transport)
Individual buildings - more cost efficient
Initial cost funded through the savings produced in other components
Cooler Replacement
Decreased water usage
Water cost savings - higher electric bill
Net low savings
Low Flow Toilets
Similar to shower savings
Due to reduced water usage

16. Project Management Timeline
February 12th-16th – Visit Campus Power Plant, JBB Water Cooled Air-Conditioners
February 21st – Data Collection Complete
March 2nd – Data Analysis Complete
March 9th – Progress Report Complete
March 16th – Preliminary Design and Implementation Plan
March 19th – Progress Update Complete
March 26th – Design Phase Complete
March 26th – Implementation Plan Complete
March 31st – Prototype/ Model Complete
April 2nd – Final Presentation
April 9th – Final Report Complete

17. Project Management Impacts
Financial
Money saved due to reductions
Opportunity to reinvest into further initiatives
Social/Societal
Effect on users/students/etc and Campus in general
Highly regarded by the general public
Low flow toilets and shower heads:
Known to cause occasional issues
Where implemented on campus already - no issues have been reported. [2]

18. Project Management Impacts
Environmental
Conservation - positive environmental impact
Water is a precious resource
Fuel usage (heating requirements)
Importance of environmentally conscious initiatives

19. Thanks for your attention! Any Questions?

20. References
[1] Bredenberg, Al. “University of British Columbia Claims Credit for 'North America's Greenest Building'.” University of British Columbia Claims Credit for 'North America's Greenest Building', 5 Dec. 2011, news.thomasnet.com/imt/2011/12/05/university-of-british-columbia-claims-credit-for-north-americas-greenest-building.
[2] Facilities Management
[3] Kitchen Faucet Aerator (2018)
[4] Siemens Energy Audit (2014)
[5] “Low Energy House - Grey Water Systems - Water Collection.” Low Energy House - Grey Water Systems - Water Collection, 2017,
[6] “WATER ACTION PLAN.” Water Action Plan, 2015, sustain.ubc.ca/campus-initiatives/water/water-action-plan.
[7] “Sacramento State.” Our Water Conservation Efforts - Plumbing, 2017,
[8 ]“About Monmouth.” Monmouth University, 2017,
[9] Delgado, Anna. “Understanding the Water Requirements of the Power Sector.” World Bank.
[10] "Dual Flush Toilets." CMHC. April 14, Accessed April 06,