Water Management
The objectives of the Water Conservation Standards (WCS) are to promote and implement sustainable water management practices that reduce water consumption and encourage responsible water usage on the University campus. The WCS will also assist the University in supporting its and the Welsh Government’s net zero carbon strategies and local, national, and global sustainable water initiatives.
Water Reuse
The Environment Centre Wales building was designed with a rainwater harvesting system. The water collected by the building is used to supply water for all the toilets in the building.
Treborth Botanic Garden and Henfaes Research Centre/Bangor Forest Garden both make use of waterbutts to collect rainwater for the purposes of watering plants. Treborth Botanic Garden has a total waterbutt capacity of over 6,000 litres which is used to off-set the use of clean water for watering plants.
The University hopes to expand the use of rainwater harvesting systems in future new-build and refurbishment projects.
Water Usage
During the 2023/24 academic year, Bangor University used more than 110,000 cubic meters of water. The University sets itself targets to reduce water use as part of its Environmental Management System. Between 2005 and 2024, total water use was reduced by 45.0% per m2 floor area.
* Including corrected FTE data for 2018/19 and 2019/20
Responsible Consumption
Fresh water is a globally scarce resource – less than 1% of all water on Earth is available for fresh water. Additionally, treatment and pumping of water and wastewater is an energy intensive process. By reducing how much water we use we can save energy and reduce carbon emissions as well as preserving water supplies.
It is important everyone contributes to helping to reduce water use and conserve this precious resource.
- Don’t leave taps running unnecessarily and report drips or leaks to campusservices@bangor.ac.uk
- Only boil as much water as you need when making your tea or coffee, this will help save energy too
- Take 3-to-5-minute showers and turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
Drinking Water
Bangor University catering outlets will refill your reusable water bottle for free, and there are a number of water dispensers located around campus. You can also look for the safe to drink water sign in bathrooms on campus.
Wastewater Treatment
All wastewater for Mains connected sites goes into the Wales sewer system managed by Dŵr Cymru. Unconnected sites feed into managed septic tanks or managed licensed soak aways.