Water stewardship is both an operational responsibility and a global commitment for UConn. On campus, the University owns and manages its own water and wastewater treatment systems, ensuring clean drinking water and effective sanitations for students, faculty, and staff. Students extend this work internationally, applying engineering skills to help underserved communities around the world gain access to safe water and sanitation infrastructure.

Featured Efforts

Aerial view of the Water Resource Recovery Facility

Water Resource Recovery Facility

The University of Connecticut owns and operates a Water Resource Recovery Facility that provides domestic wastewater collection and treatment services to the UConn Storrs campus, the UConn depot campus, and parts of the nearby town of Mansfield. The facility has an NPDES permit for treating 3 million gallons of wastewater per day. The Water Resource Recovery Facility supports the University’s water sanitation efforts.

 

About the Facility

An aerial view of UConn's Reclaimed Water Facility and its one million gallon storage tank on Sept. 11, 2024. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

Water & Compliance at UConn

The University of Connecticut owns and maintains a water supply and distribution system that provides potable water and fire protection to Storrs campus buildings. UConn contracts with the Connecticut Water Company to operate the system, which includes two well fields, pump stations, storage tanks and facilities, 24 miles of distribution mains and 6 miles of transmission mains. The system allows the University to provide its students and faculty with clean drinking water.

 

About Water & Compliance Practices

In the region of Gambla, Kenya, a UConn EWB group is working to implement an irrigation system that will help supply water for drinking and agriculture use.

Engineers Without Borders

Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is an international nonprofit humanitarian organization that designs and implements sustainable engineering projects through local community collaborations. The UConn EWB chapter follows EWB’s model and collaborates with other EWB chapters to provide UConn students with experiential education opportunities through the completion of international engineering projects for disadvantaged communities. UConn EWB has worked on projects in Kenya, Peru, Ethiopia, India, Nicaragua, and Connecticut, with a focus on developing water supply and distribution solutions and waste management solutions.

 

About EWB

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Recent Articles

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