Water Conservation

Water, often referred to as "liquid gold", is one of the world's most precious resources, and few other places in the United States realize the importance of water conservation as much as Southern California. The region's population continues to grow while water supplies continue to dwindle. The Public Policy Institute of California last year found that California's water needs may jump as much as 40% in the next 25 years. The Department of Water Resources' own projections show California's average annual water supply will be 2.4 million acre-feet short by 2020. Another important consideration is the amount of energy consumption related to water - 20% of energy use in the state is consumed through the transporting water to farms and taps, and this doesn't include the energy consumed through irrigation and other water uses.

LMU understands this dilemna and has make great strides in conserving water across the entire campus. According to data on typical college campus water use, irrigation is by far the largest consumer, accounting for 69% of water use. Washers account for 7%, toilets 6%, showers 5%, and leaks 4%.

• Irrigation: Visit the Grounds webpage to see the tremendous water-saving techniques employed by LMU.
• Washers: All campus laundry facilities had the washers upgraded to front loading models using 50% less water and electricity than the previous top loaders.
• Toilets: For restrooms, all new construction and renovation work use 1/8 gallon per flush (gpf) urinals and 1.28 gpf water closets. Due to a mix of rebates and incentives, the recent replacement of urinals across campus with water-efficient models cost the university almost nothing, and energy savings, in addition to thousands of gallons of water annually, will be realized within the first month of installation.
• Showers: All showerheads in residential dormitories have been replaced with low-flow efficient models.
• Leaks: LMU continuously monitors water usage and consumption and uses this data to identify potential leaks, in addition to old-fashioned inspection and observation.  REPORT A LEAK!

RECENT NEWS:

• The WateReuse Association’s California Section selected LMU as the 2008 Recycled Water Institutional Customer of the Year. Currently 60% of LMU’s irrigation needs are supplied by recycled water, due to a new recycled water treatment station built in 2008 which produces odorless, clean water for use on campus landscapes.
• On October 4, 2008 LMU hosted "Water and Politics in Southern California", a conference examining the vital resource of water in Southern California politics and history.