Water

While the abundance and access to water may not be as high an issue in the state of Vermont as it is on the western states of the country, as well as other locations around the globe, we do not take this precious resource for granted and are dedicated to having technologies in place and creating awareness about the importance of conserving and protecting our water resources.

Water Conservation

--All campus showerheads and sink aerators are low flow (this became the standard at the college 15 years ago!)

--new Residence Halls (Cashman, Pontigney, and Canterbury) and the Hoehl Welcome Center all have low-flow toilets

--new Fall 2008 program: There will be a combined Energy/Water Reduction competition focused on the first year Residence Halls to see which hall can reduce the amount of electricity and water consumed.  This pilot competition will help us determine how bet to expand the program to all campus residential areas for a Spring 2009 competition.

Irrigation

The majority of the Saint Michael's College campus is not watered (situated in New England, we receive ample watering from the skies).  The college does have a "rain train," which is a large self-propelled water cannon that is used for the central green (located between the Durick Library and the Chapel).  It is only used on the driest of summers to keep this area green.  For the Doc Jacob fields, we use a ground water recycling system.  Young trees are watered for the first year or two, but just localized to their root area.  The President's house does have an irrigation system in place, but is only watered in the driest of seasons.

Storm Water Management: Reducing our Impact on the Aquatic Environment

Saint Michael's College is located within the Lake Champlain Basin watershed, a fragile ecosystem home to many aquatic life and plants.  Stormwater runoff has a huge negative impact on the water quality for bodies of water.  Saint Michael's College has several systems in place to reduce stormwater runoff from main campus that: reduce waterflow off campus; catch silt, sand and oils as they leave our parking lots; reduce our impact on the local rivers and Lake Champlain basin.

For more detailed information on the Stormwater Management system in place at Saint Michael's College, read Saint Michael's College Watersheds, a document prepared by biology Professor Declan McCabe and Director of Physical Plant Dave Cutler.  The document is intended as a walking tour of campus, to point out the great systems in place that help reduce our impact on the local aquatic environment

   


Did you know?

A leaky faucet is a huge waste of water: a tap leaking at a rate of a drop/second can waste more than 6.5 gallons per day, or 2,650 gallons per year!  This equates to adding 18 lbs of carbon dioxide to one's carbon footprint a year!  Be sure to report a leaky faucet to Physical Plant.

When washing your laundry, choose the cold cycle and reduce your carbon footprint by 500 lbs of carbon dioxide a year!  Washing machines vary in efficiency, look for the Energy Star logo (these models typically use 40% less energy.  Front-loading appliances also use less water and energy as their tumbling action is better at circulating water and cleaning than that of the top-loading variety.

Use of a clothes dryer adds 1,440 lbs of carbon dioixe a year to your carbon footprint!  Dry your clothes on a clothes line or on a drying rack.

 

Taken from "The Environmental Equation," by Alex Shim-Barry, 2008