Water Management
Georgia Tech’s water management approach focuses on increasing water conservation, efficiency, and storm water capture and reuse. This approach has multiple benefits, including reduced water use, cost, and potential pollution from storm water runoff.
Water Data
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Domestic Water Use (of total water use)
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Used for Irrigation
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Water Used for Energy Production
Georgia Tech's Approach
Climate Action Plan Water Management Strategies
- Implement campus greywater and blackwater reuse systems.
- Increase water efficiency and conservation.
- Continue to reduce campus stormwater runoff.
Stormwater Management
- Bioswales: Several bioswales, or vegetated channels that help convey and treat stormwater runoff, are in place on campus. The Eco-Commons includes expanding woodlands along with man-made storage, conveyance, and irrigation systems, including bioswales, to intercept, infiltrate, harvest, and redistribute stormwater and condensate from buildings.
- Impervious pavement: Impervious pavers that reduce runoff and help absorb water into the ground are used in various locations around campus, including around The Kendeda Building.
- Cisterns: Georgia Tech has a large-scale cistern system that captures rainwater at multiple locations around campus.
- Raingardens: The construction of the Klaus building in 2007 resulted in the installation of the first significant rain garden on the Georgia Tech Campus. This project included reforestation as part of campus sustainability initiatives. Rain gardens are also located behind Boggs Chemistry, behind Laser Lab, in the EBB/EcoCommons, and at the Carbon Neutral Building.
- Infiltration Cells: Since 2014, Stamps Recreation Field, the most utilized practice field in the Southeast, is a rainwater infiltration area that recharges Georgia Tech’s basin’s groundwater system. The infiltration cells installed beneath the field allow up to 44,500 cubic feet of water to be gradually released into the ground.
- Land use change: The implementation of the EcoCommons in 2021 represented a dramatic change from a parking lot to a green space. This improved Georgia Tech’s runoff coefficient, which measures runoff in proportion to the amount of precipitation received.
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EcoCommons
The overarching EcoCommons Project envisions 80 acres of green space across campus that follow what were the original naturally occurring stream paths of this region before being urbanized. These green spaces are being designed and engineered as part of the 2004 landscape master plan to reduce storm water runoff by 50%.
Water Management at the Kendeda Building
The Kendeda Building is a leading example of sustainable design. It has a unique water system that harvests rainwater, treats wastewater on-site, and even recharges the surrounding aquifer.
STARS
Georgia Tech actively participates in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) to benchmark its sustainability efforts. Learn more about water management at GT by exploring the credits below.
Climate Action Plan
The Climate Action Plan serves as a roadmap for Georgia Tech’s water sustainability efforts. By implementing the strategies outlined below, the Institute strives to become a leader in water conservation and contribute to a more resilient future.
Related Efforts
