Stanford
Sustainable Stanford

Spring Campaign: Water Wise

Ever wonder where Stanford gets its water or how campus water is allocated and treated? Because of our state’s variable water situation, it’s important that we know about our water systems and practices. Through the end of May, Sustainable Stanford, in partnership with Stanford's Water Planning and Stewardship Team, encourages you to learn about Stanford's water supplies and programs.

Get Involved

Be on the lookout for Earth Week events where you can volunteer to help preserve the historic Arizona Garden and restore native plants in the Stanford foothills in April!

Take a Tour

Learn about Stanford's water supplies and programs through in-person and virtual tours. 

Stormwater System Tour - RSVP to Julia at juliann@stanford.edu

  • No current scheduled dates

Take a virtual online tour and find more information here. 

William and Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center (CR2C) Tour - RSVP to Sebastien at stilmans@stanford.edu

  • No current scheduled dates

Explore Resources

Why be Water Wise?

The past several months of heavy rainfall have eased our drought status. While the excess rain is good news for California’s water supplies, it doesn’t mean the drought is over for good. Because California is a drought prone state that experiences sporadic weather cycles, your knowledge of campus water supplies and infrastructure can help you to be mindful about water as a precious resource, at any time of year or weather pattern.

Background & Results

Stanford practices sustainable water use by managing available resources to meet university needs while preserving ecological systems and maintaining this vital resource for future generations. Some recent highlights from the water efficiency projects completed on campus include

  • Upgrading Residential and Dining Enterprises' (R&DE) irrigation system to weather-based technology that saves more than 30 million gallons annually. 
  • Implementation of the Stanford Energy System Innovations project that cut total campus potable water consumption 18%.
  • The Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation has converted more than 30,000 square feet of lawn to save more than 1 million gallons of irrigation water per year. 
  • Installation of 58 water-saving devices on sterilizers reduced water use by about 80,000 million gallons per day.
  • Water efficiency staff performed landscape irrigation water audits of more than 30 residences and other campus grounds in fiscal year 2015 to identify leaks, eliminate irrigation runoff, and improve overall efficiency while maintaining healthy plants.