Water

Water is a valuable resource, and LPS is committed to utilizing water efficiently and minimizing its use when possible.

LPS consistently monitors the district water usage in order to understand and discover ways to use water more sustainably. Since 2019, LPS has built three new schools, adding over 1.1 million square feet of space to the district’s footprint. As the district grows, so does the water usage, and LPS is collecting data to investigate methods for reducing water usage and continue being responsible in its water consumption.

Indoor Water Usage

With over 42,000 students and more than 6,000 employees in the district, our buildings use a lot of water on a daily basis. LPS continually strives to utilize water efficiently inside our facilities. Schools and support buildings are upgraded when possible, and new construction projects prioritize high-efficiency fixtures such as:

Outdoor Water Usage

LPS takes pride in limiting irrigation to high school competition athletic fields, along with a few other select facilities, resulting in lower water usage and associated costs.

For those areas that are irrigated, LPS follows the limited watering schedule associated with the City Water Restriction Guidelines year-round, regardless of whether mandatory water restrictions are in place.

The district’s remaining land can be managed without irrigation because the district prioritizes vegetation that requires minimal maintenance.

acres of grass & field turf

0 +

of land irrigated district-wide

< 0 %

Any new plantings on school grounds utilize drought resistant vegetation including:

Trees

Shrubs

Ground Cover

Watershed Overview: Northwest and Standing Bear High Schools

Northwest High School and Standing Bear High School welcomed their first students in the fall of 2022 and 2023, respectively. Northwest High Schools’ building and its surrounding structures sit on land that was zoned for agricultural use before its construction. Over the course of this land’s usage, regular application of fertilizers and chemicals affected the quality of the water in the area, leading to a need for increased water consciousness and attention.

At Northwest, the district had a unique opportunity to improve the condition of a previously small, disturbed wetland on the site. Both sites also focus on maintaining the larger wetland areas on the perimeter of the schools’ grounds. From groundbreaking to everyday use, the buildings and surrounding sites play a part in keeping people and the planet safe and healthy.

Fast Facts:

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a specific, shared body of water.
The entire school site at both schools makes up part of a watershed that directs water from rainfall and snowmelt into wetland areas nearby.
Northwest’s 441,600-gallon watershed capacity was calculated based on the average amount of rain the site gets per storm: 0.83 inches.
Standing Bear’s site preserves 385,678 ft² of wetland through its continual water-conscious management.

Watershed Information and Onsite Signage

Both new high schools include a series of interpretive signs placed along a wellness walking path that highlight sustainable design features across the site.

Some of these features are below ground or otherwise easy to overlook, so LPS Sustainability collaborated with landscape architects from the school design team to draft and strategically place each sign. Each interpretive sign gives students, staff, and visitors a way to learn more about the ways water is being directed and protected onsite.

Sustainable Building Guidelines

None of the district’s sustainable features happened by accident! Lincoln Public Schools’ Sustainable Building Guidelines call for school facilities to harmonize with the natural landscape and safeguard water, among other important goals.