Building water conservation into built environment
Landscaped areas across campus act as stormwater infiltration basins where rain water can be retained at the surface or in subsurface infrastructure while it seeps into the ground. The Taylor Family Digital Library, completed in 2011, includes a building-integrated storm water management pond.
Clean water for our campus and community
Water Partnerships
The University of Calgary is creating a ripple effect through its research, community and organizational partnerships. By leveraging institutional resources and building relationships, UCalgary is helping to address water security and sanitation issues on local and global scales.
Stormwater Management
The Spyhill Campus operates an entirely independent stormwater management system capturing and infiltrating all precipitation on-site without relying on the municipal stormwater infrastructure. Run-off water from the animal handling area and rainstorms is filtered through an engineered wetland which cleans the water. The water then flows down and is stored in ponds where it evaporates back into the atmosphere.
Rainwater and recycled water
Rainwater and recycled water is used for toilet flushing in the Energy Environment and Experiential Learning Building, the Child Development Centre and the MacKimmie Tower. Recycled water from the Central Heating and Cooling plant is also used for irrigation throughout main campus.
Low-flow and low-flush devices
UCalgary installs low-flow and low-flush devices in all new buildings on campus and has retrofitted most existing washrooms as well. Low-flow fixtures use less water compared to conventional fixtures and contribute to the over 75 per cent water reduction in the centre.
Drinking water
Water fountains and refill stations located throughout campus make refilling easy. In addition to reducing the number of plastic water bottles that end up in our ocean, water from the City of Calgary is usually purer and cleaner than bottled water — it gets tested more than 150,000 times in a world-class water treatment and testing facility.