Water Efficiency
There is potential to conserve water in all campus buildings, and laboratories provide the biggest opportunities for savings.
![Students using water in a laboratory](/sustainability/sites/default/files/styles/ua_image_full_width/public/media/images/2023-02/water-in-lab-banner.jpg?h=57013b68&itok=264-u1ZK)
What we are doing
We have made significant investments in reducing the University's mains water consumption, including:
- Rainwater tanks for research
- Low-flow taps in bathrooms
- Specialist laboratory equipment
- Upgrade of campus irrigation systems to use recycled water
- Landscaping with endemic species, drought tolerant plants and shade producing trees.
Overview
- Buildings: Molecular Life Sciences, Engineering Maths, Santos, Barr Smith South, Schulz, Physics, Waite Campus
- Cost: $71,936
- Lifetime savings: $2 million
- Lifetime water savings: 806,093kL
- Lifetime GHG emission reduction: 1,762 tonnes CO2-e
- Average payback period: 14 years
What you can do
Laboratory processes, sanitation, air conditioning and specialist equipment require a lot of water, particularly when compared to office spaces and kitchens. For example, one litre of reverse-osmosis water typically takes 4 to 5 litres of water to produce. It may be habit to use high-quality water (de-ionised, reverse osmosis or distilled) for everything in a lab, but it's not always necessary.
- Use the lowest grade water appropriate to the task.
- Switch off high water-use equipment such as reverse osmosis or water distillers when not using them.
- Identify high water use lab processes and ask your supervisor if this process can be changed.
- If diluting chemicals, reduce the flow and only run taps as long as necessary to achieve the appropriate concentration.
- When washing lab ware, put the plug in and fill the sink rather than using running water.
- If using water to cool or sanitise equipment, investigate opportunities for water re-use, such as pumps to recirculate the water through a system so that water is recycled.
- Report dripping taps through the Infrastructure website by Requesting a Service (plumbing).