I’d like to thank Chris Marth for the Friday letter highlighting a topic important to campus sustainability that both staff and students play a part in improving.
Almost 100 percent of UF’s irrigation water is reclaimed from our on-campus wastewater treatment facility. The requirement to water landscapes before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.and only twice a week applies to potable water resources.
Our storage capacity for treated water at UF is surpassed by our generation of water that needs to be treated. It’s an unfortunate reality that we can and sometimes need to irrigate at all times of the day and night to distribute the reclaimed water.
Much of the sustainability concern is on the front end of this equation. Our laboratories and building users do not always treat water as a precious commodity.
The Office of Sustainability, Physical Plant Division and Environmental Health and Safety staff are trying to work with laboratory users and building managers on campus to install water-saving devices and implement behaviors that save water, but there isn’t a financial incentive to spend funds on water conservation measures that can make things difficult.
One example of an effort being made for water conservation at UF is the program designed by the department of housing. The water conservation campaign helps students understand the importance of conserving water, while providing them unique tools and resources like shower timers to help make it an engaging learning process.
Concerning Marth’s specific comments about sprinklers spraying sidewalks rather than grass, the best way to resolve this or any problem with campus infrastructure is to call the Physical Plant Division to report the problem. If you spot an irrigation-related problem or notice sprinkler systems running for an excessive amount of time, please contact it at 352-392-1121.
We all have an important part to play in helping our university and campus become more sustainable.
Editor's note: This letter refers to this letter.
