IU exceeds goal in water converservation challenge

In the first 10 days of the Million Gallon Challenge, participants across campus reduced water usage by more than 3.7 million gallons compared to consumption levels at this time last year.

The challenge began Sept. 1 as a means of raising awareness about water usage.
Director of Sustainability Bill Brown said the meters measuring campus water consumption are read every seven to 10 days, and no new numbers have been recorded since Sept. 10. 

The competition was partly inspired by the drought conditions Indiana suffered throughout the summer. Although the citywide Emergency Water Restriction Order was recently revoked, IU is encouraging students, faculty and staff to conserve water.
Collins LLC residents, who have decreased water consumption from last year by 35 percent, have had greater conservation levels than residents in any other residence center.

Cooler weather has aided the challenge’s efforts, according to a press release, since it allows the campus to streamline its irrigation efforts. Water for flower beds and other area landscaping continues to be extracted from Griffy Lake with the city’s permission.
Brown said he is pleased with IU’s total savings to date, although he isn’t too surprised by the numbers.

Brown said IU had relative success last spring when the campus participated in the Campus Conservation Nationals. In three weeks, Brown said, IU-Bloomington saved about 800,000 gallons of water.

The Million Gallon Challenge will continue until the end of September.
“We were pretty sure that if we put the challenge out there, IU faculty, students and staff would be able to do something amazing,” Brown said. “And I think they did.”

— Kirsten Clark