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Can be either simple or complex—it's up to you
You can earn this credit simply by eliminating turf grass, planting native and adaptive species, and not installing an irrigation system. If those measures go too far for your project, you can still achieve the credit as long as you have some flexibility with plant species selection, and irrigation system design and controls. You may need a landscape designer to identify local or adaptive plant species that require little irrigation, to design water-efficient irrigation systems, to address the potential use of non-potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities...
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20 Comments
Can rainwater tank be connected to the potable water system?
I would like to comply with the requirements of this credit by the use of captured rainwater for irrigation purposes. The question is if according to LEED the rainwater tank can be connected to the potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. system just in case there won't be any rain for a long period of time but it's still necessary to water plants?
I'm asking this question because in LEED C&S 2009 SS Cre 6.1 Stormwater design-Quantity Control it's written that "Reused stormwater and graywater1. Defined by the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) in its Appendix G, titled "Gray water Systems for Single-Family Dwellings," as "untreated household wastewater which has not come into contact with toilet waste. Grey water includes used water from bathtubs, showers, bathroom wash basins, and water from clothes-washer and laundry tubs. It shall not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers." 2. The International Plumbing Code (IPC) defines graywater in its Appendix C, titled "Graywater Recycling Systems," as "wastewater discharged from lavatories, bathtubs, showers, clothes washers, and laundry sinks." Some states and local authorities allow kitchen sink wastewater to be included in graywater. Other differences with the UPC and IPC definitions can probably be found in state and local codes. Project teams should comply with the graywater definitions as established by the authority having jurisdiction in their areas. systems must not be connected to other domestic or commercial potable water systems." I was wondering if this statement applies to WE Cre 1 Water Efficient Landscaping too.
Adam, let's separate the LEED and the plumbing code issues—I'm not exactly sure which you are asking about.
From a code perspective, any possibility of untreated rainwater coming out of a potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. fixture will need to be avoided. So depending on what you mean by connecting the systems, that could be an issue. That is what the sentence you're quoting is about.
From a LEED perspective, I don't see an obstacle to compliance, since the credit requirements are based on calculations, not precise system design. You should, however, ensure that your catchment tank is of an adequate size that you can capture enough water to irrigate according to what you promise in your documentation.
Aha then I understood the statement that I quoted in a wrong way. I thought that from a LEED perspective it is not allowed to have a rainwater tank connected to a potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. system in order to fill it in in case there are no rains for a long time. In this situation there would be a potable water used for filling the tank and for watering the plants. But this would happen only in extreme situations. Thank you for clarification.
Speaking to the question of whether LEED will accept a potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. connection to rainwater collection: A couple years ago we did a project that was collecting rainwater for reuse in an open pond, and we were denied this credit because there was a municipal water connection to the pond. This was despite the fact that our calculations showed the potable water would never be needed under typical rainfall conditions.
No irrigation at all
Hello, in my project there will be no irrigation at all because of the adapted plants plant in all the green roofs. How do we demonstrate the achievement of the credit? Which documents must we submit for the compliance?
Thanks
We submitted a statement from the landscape designer along with pictures of the temporal irrigation (small trucks with water tanks) during the plant establishment. That was sufficient for the reviewers.
Thank you Susan. Very usefull your answer!
We are planning our landscaping with native/adapted plants and we are not going to install permanent irrigation. During dry times of the summer, we may want to handwater plants using small trucks with water tanks to keep the landscaping from going brown. Is this acceptable if we want to achieve all 4 points on this credit?
No potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. use or no (long term) irrigation for a possible 4 points still require you to show the planting layout/pallete that proves you are taking advantage of native/drought tolerant plants, and are actually doing a real landscaping less the water. If you are manually watering the plants (actually planted in the soil), I guess you need to provide a schedule (name of person and his schedule). Seriously, achieving the 4 points should reflect the sustainability of the design level you are trying to achieve.
Credit for temporary irrigation
Hello,
I'm wondering what people's experiences have been regarding the removal of irrigation after one year - specifically, what is considered "temporary"? If the project removes it's automated irrigation control, but keeps irrigation lines in place, is that sufficient to count for the credit? The project wants to keep irrigation available for use in future planting or replanting, fire control potential, etc.
Any knowledge on this issue is appreciated.
Steve, what we have heard from projects is that leaving lines in place is okay, but that the system must be disabled in some way so that there would need to be a clear, nontrivial, intention to reactivate it down the road. Removing the sprinkler heads seems to be a common way of achieving this. I'm not sure whether or not removing an automated control would quite reach that threshold, but I can't picture your project specifics.
What plants constitute the baseline under Option 1
If we choose Option 1, how would we establish the baseline irrigation - based on what plants? Since our site is in the semi-arid Rocky Mountain region, could any non-native plant (say something from the north east) be considered as baseline?
Thanks!
The baseline case is supposed to represent conventional landscaping choices for the region, according to the LEED Reference Guide.
A non-native plant could be part of the baseline if it's conventionally used there in landscaping.
We have a project that is a zero lot line and because of the shape of the building it will be impossible to have a greenroof.
However there could be some vegetation inside the building that since the lower lever will be retail.
Can this type of vegetation be considered so we can comply with the WEC1?
David, read about planters in the question just above this one, and in the Checklists tab.
Can you achieve WEc1.1&1.2 by having No Landscaping?
This is in reference to LEED CS v2.0 2006. The project is built up to the plot line, therefore the only opportunity for landscaping is to have a Green Roof.
The Design Team wants to investigate if by ommitting landscaping on the project (hence no irrigation), does it meet the intent of the credit to "Limit and eliminate the use of potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems......for landscape irrigation"?
Would the project achieve both WEc1.1 and WEc1.2 with no landscaping?
I'm not an expert on LEED-CS 2.0, but I would assume it's the same as NC. As we discuss in some more detail above under Checklists, you have to have some landscaping to be eligible for the credit. Planters can be landscaping.
Part of the idea here is to not incentivize projects to earn the credit
by paving over everything or installing artificial turf, ec.
Thanks Tristan for your feedback. It was my understanding that to meet the credit it would be expected that some landscaping is required too.
Just wanted to share with other forum users that in the latest version of the LEED Manual, LEED BD&C 2009 Reference Guide p182-183, it is noted that for WEc1 the landscaping would need to be a minimum of 5% of the plot area;
"For buildings without vegetation on the grounds, teams can earn points by reducing the use of potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. for watering any roof and courtyard garden space or outdoor planters, provided the planters and garden space cover at least 5% of the building site area (including building footprintBuilding footprint is the area on a project site used by the building structure, defined by the perimeter of the building plan. Parking lots, parking garages, landscapes, and other nonbuilding facilities are not included in the building footprint., hardscape area, parking footprint, etc.). If the planters and garden space cover less than 5% of the building site area, the project is ineligible for this credit."
Calculations required in case of 100% non-potable water?
In the case that 100% non-potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. (municipally supplied TSE) is used for landscaping purposes, is it still required to complete any calculations? If so, what calculations are required?
Even in a case where 100% non-potable waterPotable water meets or exceeds EPA's drinking water quality standards and is approved for human consumption by the state or local authorities having jurisdiction; it may be supplied from wells or municipal water systems. is used, you still have to reduced your "total water applied" by at least 50%, which will require the basic baseline calculations that are standard for this credit. These calculations are discussed in more detail in the Getting It Done tab, above.
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