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February 26 , 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CSU Dominguez Hills Student Housing
Benefits from New Water and Energy-Saving Program

(Carson, CA) – Student housing at California State University, Dominguez Hills has become a little greener this semester thanks to a new program of the region’s water district, West Basin Municipal Water District.

CSU Dominguez Hills University Housing was selected as the pilot project for West Basin’s Green Living for Apartments and Condos program, one of the many projects created from $681,000-worth of grants aimed at water conservation awarded to the agency by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). A unique conservation collaboration, the program partners with South Bay Environmental Services Center, Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Company to also provide energy conservation measures.

The university’s student housing complex—made up of 22 buildings with 164 one-, two- and three-bedroom units—provided a perfect model for this innovative program that brings water and energy saving measures to multi-family buildings. Approximately 550 students reside in University Housing.

“As an elected member of the West Basin Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors, I am always looking for opportunities to bring the benefits of what we do at West Basin to the communities I serve,” said Ronald C. (Ron) Smith, member of the West Basin Board of Directors. “This makes CSU Dominguez Hills, being right in the heart of the City of Carson, the ideal location to pilot test West Basin’s Green Living for Apartments and Condos program. This is a real win-win-win scenario. We are integrating the unique, environmentally conscious relationship inherent between energy and water at a university that is at the forefront in being good stewards of both resources. We’re leveraging both in a way that realizes tremendous cost savings in a less-than-ideal economic environment.”

Through the pilot project at the university, contractor Bottom Line Utility Solutions Inc. replaced 224 toilets and 164 showerheads. The new, high efficiency dual flush toilets use on average .9 gallons per flush, as opposed to the older three- and five-gallons-per-flush models that had been in the apartments. The new showerheads use 1.5 gallons per minute (GPM). This means a more than 50% savings in water usage in the housing facility, or up to 3.4 million gallons saved annually.

As an added component to this project, Metropolitan Water District has agreed to provide the university with faucet flow restrictors, which will provide even more water savings. Students living in the university apartments will also receive conservation education literature.

The replacement of the showerheads with low-flow models will realize energy savings as well by having to heat less water. Additionally, Southern California Edison is supplying up to nine CFLs bulbs per unit. Energy cost savings from the CFLs and reduced water heating is estimated at $100,000.
 
“The University Housing community is delighted to have been part of this pilot program,” said Kaveh Razaghi, director of University Housing. “This is a giant step for us in helping the campus lower its consumption of water, gas and electricity, which in return will also save us thousands of dollars in cost each year. It’s also a wonderful education opportunity for our students.”

The replacement of older, less energy-efficient devices in University Housing is one of many sustainability measures CSU Dominguez Hills has plans to implement. A similar project through a separate MWD grant has already replaced all showerheads and urinals on the main campus (more than 100 each) with low-flow models. Other proposed projects include installation of irrigation control sensors tied to weather conditions, replacement of potable water with recycled water in the university’s water towers, and proposals to modernize the campus’s electrical utilities and construct a co-generation plant, which along with a solar panel system already in place will mean the university will produce all the electricity for the campus on site.

West Basin’s Green Living for Apartments and Condos Program will reach more than 77,000 multi-family dwelling units in West Basin’s service area and 10,000 dwelling units in the City of Torrance. The potential water savings through the program is 65 million gallons and 462,480 kWh of electricity over the life of the devices. For information, visit www.westbasin.org/WaterReliability2020/Conservation/ResidentialPrograms/MultiFamilyResidentPrograms/tabid/223/Default.aspx

This project is part of West Basin’s Water Reliability 2020 Program, in which West Basin will reduce the area’s dependence on imported water from northern California and the Colorado River from today’s 66% down to 33% by the year 2020.

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About CSU Dominguez Hills -- California State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse, urban university located in the South Bay, primarily serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered environment. Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology, business administration, and digital media arts, new degree programs include computer science, criminal justice, recreation and leisure studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex that hosts world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and cycling.

About West Basin Municipal Water District -– West Basin provides a safe and reliable supply of imported and recycled water to a diverse service area that includes the cities of Carson, Culver City, El Segundo, Gardena, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Lawndale, Lomita, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, West Hollywood, portions of the cities of Los Angeles and Torrance, and several unincorporated communities in Los Angeles County. West Basin is committed to water reliability, water quality, sound financial and resource management, customer service, and environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.westbasin.org.

Media Contact:
Amy Bentley-Smith
(310) 243-2455
abentleysmith@csudh.edu

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