Water Conservation

Potable water accounts for only 3 percent of the total amount of water on the earth’s surface and is especially scarce in the Middle East region.

KAUST will implement water conservation strategies and study new methods of generating potable water resources through water management and next-generation desalination technologies. As a result, it is a goal of KAUST research to contribute to the region’s water resources rather than just adding demand. On the campus, rainwater will be harvested and stored for use, and – to protect its natural ecosystems and recreational facilities – KAUST will utilize landscaping that does not require supplemental irrigation.

Fixture Water Use Reduction

Through the implementation of efficient water fixtures and waterless urinals, the KAUST campus was able to reduce its projected annual potable water consumption by approximately 56 percent.

Native and Adaptive Vegetation

Native and adaptive species have been selected for a majority of the plantings on the KAUST campus. These species do not require large amounts of irrigation to survive and will reduce KAUST’s overall water demand.

Water Reuse for Golf Course Irrigation

Potable water is a scarce resource throughout the region. The vast majority of potable water for KAUST will come from a desalination plant, but desalination is an energy-intensive process. In order to reduce total energy and water demands for the KAUST project, all wastewater (storm water, gray water, black water) and the large condensate load from the campus will be sent to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), located to the south of the KAUST campus and community, to be recycled.

The WWTP is an advanced plant that is designed to treat an average daily sewage flow of 9,500 cubic meters per day, or roughly 9.5 million liters per day, and 3.5 million liters per year. This recycled water will be used for many irrigation needs, thus greatly reducing potable water demand for the University.