Rice purchases water from the City of Houston, which draws surface water resources from Lakes Livingston, Conroe, and Houston, as well as deep underground wells tapping the Evangeline and Chicot aquifers. A portion of Rice's water is also supplied by an on-campus well, and by alternative sources like HVAC condensate and captured rainwater
Condensate Harvesting
Air conditioning systems provide a constant source of clean, cold water that is well-suited for reuse. In the fall of 2008, Rice began capturing condensate water from the air conditioning systems of the Biosciences Research Collaborative to use as make-up water in the cooling towers of the South Plant. This is a free source of water that Rice would otherwise have to buy from the City of Houston. Since then, Rice has completed a number of projects to capture condensate water from many of the science and engineering buildings to bring back to the Central Plant's cooling towers. Combined, these systems save around 12 million gallons of water per year, which is equivalent to roughly 5 to 6 percent of Rice's annual water consumption in a typical year.
Water Metering
In 2019, the Office of Sustainability began installing water sub-meters on campus buildings, irrigation systems, plant processes, and reuse water sources to monitor consumption and detect leaks. By identifying and fixing leaks detected by these meters, Rice has been able to save almost double the initial cost of the meters themselves. Sub-metering like this also provides more reliable data regarding the campus's water usage. As of July 2025, 152 of these sub-meters have been installed, and more are slated to be added.