IU works to conserve water in wake of summer drought

As a response to this summer’s drought, the IU Office of Sustainability’s newest initiative is challenging students to conserve 1 million gallons of water.

“There are 50,000 folks on campus,” Director of Sustainability Bill Brown said. “If we each save 20 gallons, we can hit the million-gallon mark.”

In addition to the million-gallon goal, Brown said he hopes the competition will raise awareness of water usage and “make people think about using water” on and off campus.

The drought prompted the city to impose a ban on outdoor water usage.

Since then, numerous campus fountains have been shut off, and IU received permission from the city to use water from Griffy Lake to water plants.

“With this year’s dry summer in Indiana, there has never been a better time to focus on the benefits of water conservation,” IU Vice President for Capital Planning and Facilities Tom Morrison said in a press release. “I know our IU community will be leaders in this effort.”

Water conservation, Brown said, can be as simple as taking shorter showers.

For faculty members, he suggested reducing water usage in laboratory experiments.

A meter that measures campus-wide water usage will be read each week, and students, faculty and staff will be able to track the University’s progress online.

Brown said IU’s results during the spring Campus Conservation Nationals indicate that 1 million gallons is an attainable goal.

During a three-week period, more than 100 universities competed to see which school could conserve the most water and energy.

“IU’s Bloomington campus conserved 800,000 gallons of water in three weeks,” Brown said.

 He also said IU accounted for more than half the national savings.To track campus progress, or to find tips about water conservation, visit sustain.indiana.edu/waterwise.

— Kirsten Clark