At a time when state drought conditions are beginning to reach emergency levels, the UNM campus may consume as many as 38 million gallons of water a month this summer, private contractor Joe Griffenberg said.
Those millions of gallons used on campus do not include water used to maintain the two golf courses owned and operated by UNM.
Griffenberg works for the Ford Utilities Center which is a separate organization working with UNM's utilities division to manage campus utility services.
Despite the relatively high amount of water used by the University, UNM won't get stuck with a massive bill because that water comes from three wells owned by the University.
"The biggest use of water is the grounds," Griffenberg said. "We're on a computer-run system to water the grass. We only water in the evening or at night."
Griffenberg said the University utilities division is striving to reduce the amount of water used by UNM in landscaping.
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Grass is being torn out in favor of xeriscape scenery and plots of land that formerly needed water are being converted into space for the construction of new buildings. These two techniques are aimed at reducing the amount of water required to maintain plants and vegetation on campus.
Xeriscaping is a landscaping technique that uses plants and vegetation types which require less water than more popular landscaping such as grass and flowers. Some places on campus, such as the Student Residence Centers, have had the grass completely ripped out and replaced with gravel.
"This is only in low visual impact and high-traffic areas," said Brian Eagan, a UNM public relations specialist with transportation and information-project facilitation.
"There is buffalo grass outside of Dane Smith Hall, which is low-water, but everywhere that there is high foot traffic, we have to have bluegrass, because buffalo grass can't withstand high traffic - it's too fragile," Eagan said.
Medians between walking paths have been filled with gravel, more desert plants have been planted in front of Santa Clara Hall and trees on campus have had added mulch.
In another effort to conserve water, Griffenberg said reclaimed water, wastewater that has been treated but is not fit for human consumption, is being used increasingly on campus. This water is stored in the Duck Pond and is used to irrigate grassy areas.
"The majority of water that we use is for watering the grounds, and that comes from the duck pond," Griffenberg said.
In addition to landscaping, heating and cooling on campus requires a lot of water.
"Ford Utilities produces steam and chilled water," Griffenberg said. "It's supposed to be a re-circulation system, where we don't have to put any water back in. But the pipes are old. Sometimes there's a leak and we have to put water back into the system."
Although additional buildings mean less land that needs watering, it also means more square footage to heat and cool.
"We are expanding the chilled water system," Eagan said. "As we add buildings, we have to expand the system to meet our needs."
