Water
GOAL: Reduce water use by 40% by 2030
Goal update
Baseline: 356 million gallons/yr
2024 Q2: 228 million gallons/yr
Goal: 214 million gallons/yr
Recent Achievements
Owen Sea Lion Shores
Owen Sea Lion Shores provides Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium’s sea lions with a new state-of-the-art habitat featuring a 275-thousand-gallon pool, 40-foot-long underwater viewing window, natural boundaries, heated rocks, an underwater kelp forest and sandy beach areas. Innovative design uses significantly less water than the previous Owen Sea Lion Pavilion while providing a better habitat for our sea lions.
Goal-setting
The Zoo achieved its 2021 water reduction goal 2 years early. The zoo seeks to set a new 5-year target to achieve its long-term neutral water footprint goal.
Energy & Water Management Team
The Zoo’s cross-department Energy & Water Management Team monitors energy and water use across the Zoo. By identifying high and low utility usage, this team provides data to inform energy and water saving solutions to help meet the Zoo’s sustainability goals.
Exhibit Tracking
The Zoo established a new baseline for Owen’s Shores in late 2021 after 1 year of operation, which has been monitored well into 2022. When a new exhibit comes online, it is important that the system is monitored for any fine tuning especially during the first few years it is running.
Fixing Leaks
Through ongoing water use monitoring, the Zoo continues to identify and fix leaks on Zoo grounds, saving thousands of gallons of water each year.