Water Conservation

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Sprint recognizes that water conservation is a critical, global issue and an important consideration in any climate-adaptation strategy. While Sprint uses relatively little water compared to companies in many other industries, it strives to be a responsible steward of the water it purchases and consumes. To achieve this, Sprint has established a Water Conservation Working Committee, set a formal water-reduction goal and is incorporating water-conservation practices across its operations.

Measuring Water Use

Sprint’s goal is to reduce by 30 percent the amount of purchased water it uses annually by 2017. The baseline year for this target is 2007, when Sprint consumed 1,414,180 cubic meters of water.

As seen in the table below, Sprint achieved a 27.5 percent reduction through 2011. This reduction is mostly the result of a right-sizing initiative that Sprint implemented in the years immediately following 2007, which reduced the amount of property in its commercial and retail portfolio. However, eight percentage points of that reduction can be attributed to the change from 2010 to 2011. It was achieved primarily by increasing the efficiency of water-cooling towers at two large network-switch sites.

Looking ahead, Sprint may experience a temporary increase in water use for cooling through the end of 2013 related to Network Vision — the company's initiative to consolidate multiple network technologies into one new, seamless network with the goal of increasing efficiency and enhancing network coverage, call quality and data speeds for customers across the U.S. As new equipment is installed and tested on Sprint's network, it will be necessary to continue running the existing equipment in parallel until the new equipment is turned up. This overlap in some areas of the network will likely increase water use for cooling. Once Network Vision is complete, water use is expected to return to lower levels.

Purchased Water Used (in Cubic Meters)
Facility Type	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	Reduction '07 to '11
Commercial Sites	705,517	585,845	499,890	497,475	465,859	-34.0%
Technical Sites	602,066	612,653	542,968	533,035	477,007	-20.8%
Retail Sites	106,597	101,616	87,924	83,271	82,079	-23.0%
Total	1,414,180	1,300,114	1,130,781	1,113,781	1,024,946	-27.5%

All of the figures in the table above represent the total water purchased for sites where Sprint maintains Operational Control (OC) of water consumption. In these OC sites, Sprint receives a direct bill for water and can monitor the volume used. The OC sites represent 48 percent of the square feet in Sprint's entire facility portfolio (sites that receive any type of utility bill — electricity, waste, water, etc.).

In the past, Sprint estimated the total consumption for its entire facility portfolio using data from those sites receiving a direct bill for water. The data from those invoices was then used to estimate the water purchased in sites that receive no direct bill or report of usage. With little to no visibility into the actual water consumption at these sites, Sprint could not be certain whether it was overstating or understating its direct water footprint. Until Sprint can obtain reporting on purchased-water use in other facilities, reporting will be limited solely to its OC sites.

In order to ensure data integrity, Sprint also worked with its utility expense-management vendor in 2012 to correct some anomalies found in the 2007 to 2010 data. Some of the data entered from water-utility invoices into a system that tracks water usage for Sprint were inadvertently transposed. An audit was conducted, and the errors were found and adjusted. The water-usage numbers shared on this page reflect those adjustments. Also, the 2011 water figures have been reviewed and assured by Trucost, an independent environmental-impact assessment firm.

Conserving Water

Storm-water Management and Irrigation

In addition to purchased water, Sprint also captures rainwater at its headquarters campus in Overland Park, Kan., conserving and reusing millions of gallons of water annually. An eight-acre lake and more than seven acres of connected wetlands on the 200-acre campus serve as catch basins for storm-water runoff and as the irrigation source for landscaping. As can be seen in the table below, the actual volume consumed each year can vary significantly according to weather conditions and landscaping activities.

A computer-driven irrigation system pumps water from the lake and then rations it based on calculated rainfall and evaporation to minimize usage. The water captured through Sprint's campus lake and wetlands beautifies its surroundings, provides irrigation water for 39 acres of tall-fescue turf, and fills portable watering trucks for the abundant gardens, flower pots and trees on campus. An even larger portion of the campus grounds requires no irrigation at all; 20 percent of the campus (48-acres) is devoted to a native stand of prairie grass. This natural habitat flourishes without the assistance of man-made irrigation.

As shown in the table below, Sprint used 99,207 cubic meters of captured rainwater for irrigation at its headquarters campus in 2011. This was a 47-percent increase over the prior year. Two primary factors contributed to the higher use. First, 2011 was a drier year, with 25 percent less rainfall than 2010. Also, the campus athletic field was renovated in May 2011, increasing the demand for irrigation as new grass was being established. Depending on future climate conditions, it may be necessary to supplement this captured storm-water runoff with purchased water from the city to adequately meet the irrigation needs on campus. To address that scenario, Sprint has developed a five-level drought-contingency plan to help maintain ecosystem health while conserving water. For details, click "Drought Policy" in the Learn More box on this page.

Captured Rainwater Used (in Cubic Meters)
Facility Type	Use	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Commercial Site (HQ)	Irrigation	102,077	34,986	23,168	67,634	99,207

Water–frugal Plumbing

Low-flow and no-flow plumbing are featured throughout Sprint's real-estate portfolio. At Sprint headquarters, the water flow of hand-washing faucets in all campus restrooms is optimized using motion-sensor technology and aerators that limit flow to 0.5 gallons of water per minute. In addition, 20 touch-free Kohler Steward™ waterless urinals have been installed on campus as part of a field trial. These fixtures conserve up to 150 cubic meters (40,000 gallons) of water, per fixture, annually.

In 2009, Sprint began installing water-frugal fixtures in new retail-store builds. These include toilets with low-flow 1.0-gallon-per-flush (gpf) water closets versus the 1.6 gpf standard and aerators on the lavatory and break-room faucets that limit flow to 0.5 gallons per minute. Together, these installations are expected to save approximately 45 cubic meters (12,000 gallons) of water annually per store, roughly half the water consumed in a typical Sprint store each year.

Water-bottle Policy

In 2008, Sprint instituted a policy to discontinue the corporate purchase of bottled water to reduce plastic, fuel used to transport the water bottles and cost. Sprint executive offices replaced bottled water with filtered tap water, and Sprint's conference centers now offer water in carafes as an option. Employees still have the option of purchasing bottled water in food courts and from vending machines.

Rain Gardens

In 2010 and 2011, the Sprint Foundation donated a total of $40,000 to fund Sowers of Sustainability, a program of Keep Kansas City Beautiful . The program offered free workshops for community volunteers to learn how to plan, design, install and maintain rain gardens, thereby reducing the burden on Kansas City's storm-sewer system. Kansas City suffers the same storm-water runoff and sewage-overflow problems as many other cities with older systems. The rain gardens — shallow depressions planted with native prairie vegetation — help to beautify neighborhoods, minimize storm-water runoff and improve water quality by capturing and filtering rain water. The Sowers of Sustainability program also taught volunteers how to create rain banks (barrels) to save rain. The barrels were then used to water the vegetable gardens that volunteers also grew to help feed others in Kansas City's Green Impact Zone .

Water Conservation Working Committee

In 2010, Sprint used geographic data from the Water Supply Sustainability Index, provided by the National Resource Defense Council, to assess which of its U.S. facilities were located in areas facing the greatest risk of water scarcity over the next 40 years. This study, and the interest in its results, led to the formation of Sprint's Water Conservation Working Committee in early 2011.

This cross-functional committee is comprised of members from the following Sprint teams: Corporate Responsibility; Environmental, Health & Safety; Information Technology (IT); Network Engineering; and Real Estate. The committee initially worked to identify the drivers of Sprint's direct-water use. Most of the water Sprint purchases is used to operate commercial-grade chiller systems that provide air conditioning for Sprint facilities. To a lesser degree, water is also used for landscape irrigation and by employees for hygiene and refreshment. The committee also conducted a study that identified which Sprint facilities consume the largest quantity of water.

In 2012, the committee established Sprint's first water-conservation goal: to reduce by 30 percent the amount of purchased water it uses annually by 2017 (using 2007 as the baseline). The committee meets regularly to evaluate innovative, cost-effective opportunities to increase water conservation in high-volume sites and those located in areas at high risk for water scarcity.

Given that air conditioning is the key driver of water use for Sprint, the committee is focused primarily on seeking more water-efficient solutions for keeping its facilities cool. These solutions can range from reducing the demand for cooling by optimizing the space between equipment and air flow in Sprint's data centers and network switch sites to identifying new technology that can be used with its current cooling-tower systems or as a replacement when those systems are retired. Sprint looks forward to sharing more on those solutions as they are identified and implemented.

Drought Policy

In response to the extreme drought conditions in the Kansas City area during the summer of 2012, Sprint took measures to reduce the use of landscape water for its headquarters campus in Overland Park, Kan. Using a five-level drought-contingency policy created for the 200-acre campus, Sprint began following the Level 4 guidelines. The policy's goal is to optimize the use of water based on the scarcity of local supplies, while maintaining high-value landscaping and plants that will not tolerate a dormant state and caring for fish and other wildlife. A summary of the policy's five levels can be found below.

During that same period, other Sprint locations across the country took action, as well. For example, Sprint facilities in Reston, Va., scaled back landscape watering to twice a week. Sites in Missouri and Texas complied with city ordinances to reduce water use where the action did not increase the potential for grass fires. In addition, facilities located in areas long affected by dry conditions continued water conservation measures implemented years ago.

Sprint Headquarters Campus Policy:

Level 1
At Level 1, rain levels are at a normal level. Sprint uses standard water conservation techniques, including the use of ponds that store storm water run-off and a computer-driven irrigation system that rations pond-water based on calculated rainfall and evaporation. However, Sprint implements no additional water restrictions.

Level 2
At Level 2, rain and pond-water levels are low, but not critical. Sprint maintains usual water-use levels through existing pond water.

Level 3
As drought conditions grow more severe, Sprint enters into Level 3. Procedures put into place in Level 2 are retained, while additional water-conservation solutions are implemented (e.g., cutting off water to the Relaxation Creek — a non-critical water feature that uses approximately 3,000 gallons of water per day).

Level 4
At more severe drought levels, Level 4 is entered. At this level Sprint cuts and reduces watering of additional non-critical features (e.g., the athletic field is not watered, some shrubs are allowed to go dormant, and campus turf grass is irrigated less frequently). Sprint also begins using metered water purchased from the city in order to preserve fish, wildlife and landscape. Other procedures from Levels 2 and 3 remain in effect.

Level 5
At the most severe drought conditions, Level 5 is implemented. All campus water features including fountains are turned off, but not drained, saving approximately 2,000 gallons of water per day of city water re-fill through evaporation. Also, Levels 2-4 remain in effect.

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