CS 2009 SSp1: Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

  • NC_Schools_CS_SSp1-Type3-ConstructionPollutionPrev Diagram
  • Generally standard practice, anyway

    In general, complying with this prerequisite is standard practice in most urban and suburban areas, where most or all of the EPA Construction General PermitEPA's Construction General Permit. Outlines the provisions necessary to comply with Phase I and Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. (CGPEPA's Construction General Permit. Outlines the provisions necessary to comply with Phase I and Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.) requirements have been...

Step-by-step credit help

Got the gist of the LEED credit but not sure how to actually achieve it? LEEDuser gives step-by-step help. Members get:

  • Checklists covering all the key action steps you'll need to earn the credit.
  • Hot tips to give you shortcuts and avoid pitfalls.
  • Cost tips to assess what a credit will actually cost, and how to make it affordable.
  • Ideas for going beyond LEED with best practices.
  • All checklists organized by project phase.
  • On-the-fly suggestions on useful items from the Documentation Toolkit, Resources, and Credit Language.


  • Credit language straight from USGBC

    Need to check up on the exact LEED credit language from the LEED Rating System on the fly? LEEDuser includes the verbatim language. Members get:

    • Easy access to the official LEED credit language with just a couple of clicks.
    • On the jobsite without your bulky LEED Reference Guide? Check up on the credit language details here.
    • Credit language content is used by permission of the U.S. Green Building Council.


Your credit-by-credit reference library

Why waste time chasing down referenced standards and supporting resources when LEEDuser links you directly to the ones you need? LEEDuser has gathered all the best tools out there and organized them by credit for easy reference. Members get links to:

  • Organizations that can give information or help on a credit.
  • Standards or studies that are key reference points for credits and prerequisites.
  • Articles that help explain important topics.
  • Key documents or references for credit inputs.
  • Software tools you can use to run calculations or simulations.


Documentation Toolkit

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit saves you time and helps you avoid mistakes with:

  • Calculators to help assess credit compliance.
  • Tracking spreadsheets for materials purchases.
  • Spreadsheets and forms to give to subs and other team members.
  • Guidance documents on arcane LEED issues.
  • Sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions.
  • Examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects.


4 Comments

Tom Fik Civil Engineer/LEED AP Carroll Engineering Jun 07 2010

SSp1 - New Jersey 5G3 Stormwater Discharge General Permit

The State of New Jersey is the NPDESThe National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) is a permit program that controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. Industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters. permitting authority for all regulated stormwater discharges (not EPA). We received authorization to discharge under a Stormwater Discharge General Permit (5G3) and we received certification from the local soil conservation district for a commercial project. There will be general construction activities including clearing, grading, and excavation. The 5G3 Permit states that the "soil erosion and sediment control plan or requirements constitute the erosion and sediment control component of the facility's SPPP". If we submit the Permit and copies of the approved soil erosion and sediment control plan, do we achieve credit SSp1? Is a separate SPPP document required? Thank you.

Post a Reply

Lisa Marshall replied Senior Green Building Consultant, KEMA Services Inc. Jun 08 2010

Hi Tom: I would include a copy of the SPPP in your uploaded docs area, but you should also have an project specific erosion control plan that highlights those items in the SPPP you are implementing. Also the Civil drawings should show these BMPBest Management Practice's, I would upload these plans and some pictures of these measures being implemented.

Heather Holdridge Sustainability Coordinator Lake/Flato Architects Jul 23 2010

Licensed Professional Exemptions

My project is looking to pursue the LPE streamlined path for this credit, but the template on LEED Online is not populating properly. What documentation do I need to upload if I am pursuing this path? Just the site plan showing all on-site natural areas contributing to credit achievement and highlighting areas of native/adaptive vegetation or other ecologically appropriate features as well as the erosion and sedimentation control measures implemented on site? Or do I need to include additional documentation? Please clarify.

Post a Reply

Lisa Marshall replied Senior Green Building Consultant, KEMA Services Inc. Jul 26 2010

Hi Heather: Typically the contractor is the professional who would sign off on this credit. As the Civil engineer is the professional who sets up the erosion and sediment BMPBest Management Practice's and the contractor must follow these BMP's. Typically you would upload the civil drawings showing the erosion and sediment control measures and as construction is being done, the contractor takes photographs to prove the procedures were followed. The photographs are uploaded as proof. This credit is one of the easier credits to document, so I would recommend against the LPE route. The following is a post from  Tristan Roberts regarding LPE in general that's posted elsewhere on the forum:

The Licensed Professional Exemption is basically a streamlined documentation path that is available for certain credits, particularly design-oriented credits where a licensed professional such as a Landscape Architect or a P.E. would be in a position to judge whether the project is compliance. In most credits this option is not available due to the nature of the credit, e.g. an MR credit that requires actual tracking of purchases.

It basically involves substituting the signature of a professional for some portion of the usual documentation. This is shown in LEED Online in the relevant credits.

Unfortunately, USGBC or GBCI have not released much information on the LPE path, such as a list of the credits where it's an option, and general guidance on using the exemption. There is a small amount of info on it in the LEED Reference Guide.

The benefit of the LPE path is obvious—efficiency. The downside is that in order to feel confidence signing off on a credit, the professional may need to develop all the documentation that LEED would require, anyway, and instead of putting their professional authority on the line, they might as well simply submit the documentation.

Copyright 2010 – BuildingGreen, LLC