Water Resiliency

Conserving every drop. Explore how we're enhancing water resilience through smart management, conservation efforts, and innovative solutions for a sustainable future.

💧 Water Resiliency

We’re building a more sustainable future by using water wisely and preparing for climate-driven challenges. Through conservation, efficiency upgrades, and smart infrastructure, our efforts help protect water resources and ensure long-term resilience.

Click on an office or division below to explore their specific sustainability achievements related to water resiliency.

 

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Storm Water Runoff and Reuse

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DSA developed a resource with California Water Boards to address Best Practices for Managing Storm Water Runoff and Reuse.
 Key Initiatives

  • These guidelines provide insights for the selection, design, and implementation of practices that can reduce runoff and pollutants that flow from school properties. These practices include minimizing impervious surfaces, increasing green space, promoting infiltration, and treating runoff on-site. In using these guidelines, school districts can achieve benefits that apply directly to schools, such as creating schoolyards that promote natural play and improve student health and well-being, developing educational opportunities related to sustainability, and reducing the heat island effects of asphalt. This guidance also provides strategies school districts can use to help protect local watersheds, such as augmenting water supply, protecting against localized flooding, protecting and improving water quality, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The guidelines are not requirements or standards. Instead, they provide background on and examples of stormwater management principles and common capture practices.
  • Many runoff-capture-practices can be designed to incorporate features that enhance schoolyards beyond merely improving runoff management. This includes creating outdoor play, learning, and teaching spaces increasing shade; increasing access to natural areas; and establishing drought-tolerant habitats. By doing so the schools can: enhance educational opportunities, improve student health and well-being, create environmental benefits, reduce on-site flooding, and support regional sustainability.

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Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance (MWELO)

& Water Conserving Plumbing Fixtures and Fittings

 

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CALGreen Division 5.2 requires outdoor water use to meet the Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) as it applies to K-12 public schools and community colleges, which DSA has authority over.

CalGreen requires bicycle parking in Section 5.106.4.2, as it applies to K-12 public schools and community colleges for which DSA has authority.

Statistics

  •  Five separate editions of CALGreen have been published since 2009. A sixth will be published on July 1, 2025. Two tiers of voluntary measures that go beyond the mandatory regulations are available for local government to adopt and make required or for designers and buildings to use voluntarily.
  • Embodied Carbon Reduction 3 pathways - building reuse, whole building life cycle assessment, prescriptive product global warming potential. 20% - the mandatory percentage of parking spaces that must be EV-capable.

 

Key Initiatives

  • Through the CALGreen Code, DSA regulates sustainable practices that reduce negative impacts on the environment or provide a positive environmental impact. These mandatory measures target energy efficiency, water efficiency, water conservation, material conservation, resource efficiency, and environmental quality. DSA has authority for 1st in the nation reduction of embodied carbon regulation over K-12 public schools and community colleges.
  • CALGreen was published in 2009 in response to California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32). DSA adopted CALGreen in 2010.
  • During the 15 years CALGreen has been in effect, industry familiarity and acceptance have grown. Public participation by sustainability stakeholders has also expanded with hundreds of interested parties attending code development and review meetings to provide feedback and input. The regulations in CALGreen have helped California meet many environmental goals, including electric vehicle charging and reduction in greenhouse gasses.

 

CALGreen's goals:

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.
  • Promote environmentally responsible, cost-effective, healthier places to live and work.
  • Reduce energy and water consumption.
  • Respond to the environmental directives of the administration.

 

CALGreen's divisions:

  • Planning & Design - deconstruction and reuse, stormwater reuse, EV charging, light pollution reduction, grading & paving, shade trees and landscaping, bicycle parking.
  • Water Efficiency & Conservation - indoor and outdoor water use.
  • Material Conservation & Resource Efficiency - NEW July 1, 2024 - embodied carbon reduction regulations - construction waste recycling, building life cycle assessments, building maintenance, and operations.
  • Environmental Quality - pollutant control, indoor & outdoor air quality, acoustical control.

 

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The May Lee State Office Complex

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The May Lee State Office Complex recycles and reduces water usage significantly by capturing 100% of the greywater from plumbing fixtures and equipment condensate, it will capture and treat that greywater onsite in the Water Pump Rooms and then recycles that water in to use it for the toilets and urinals. The May Lee SOC also reduces outdoor water usage from the utilization of Bio-swales, native landscaping and permeable pavers.

Statistics

  • The May Lee State Office Complex represents a 60% indoor water reduction.

  • The May Lee State Office Complex represents a 50% outdoor water reduction.

  • There are (4) Recycled Water Pump rooms at May Lee SOC, (1) in each tower and they each consist of (1) a 3,000-gallon greywater catchment tank and (1) a 4,000-gallon treated water tank.

Key Initiatives