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Two options, but three choices
The intent of this credit is to reduce the amount 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. used for flush fixtures and to minimize the amount of wastewater conveyed to the municipal system. For credit compliance, you have two options:
Option 1: Reduce the quantity of potable water used for flush fixtures (water closet and urinals only) by 50%. You have two ways to make this reduction:
- use low-flow fixtures;
- use non-...
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8 Comments
Rainwater for irrigation
We are collecting rainwater and using it for maintenance in the common areas. At the same time, we are achieving a 62% 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 reduction installing low flush fixtures. Does the rainwater collection count towards potable water use reduction in WEc2 ?
Juan, probably not. This credit mainly looks at water use from toilets and urinals.
Do you have a way to measure how much rainwater you are replacing, and does it go down the drain?
Using treated water for cooling tower
We have a project that will treat all waste water and use it for the cooling towers. Will this use be compliant with the credits requirements regarding the compliance path 2?
The waste water will be treated to tertiary standards.
We will also treat waste water for some future buildings that will be adjacent to the project.
Yes, David—that would be an appropriate use for the treated wastewater.
Thanks Tristan.
Tristan, what if the cooling towers' water consumption is a lot below the treated water to a tertiary standard.
We could use the remaining for landscape but ours will be so small that there still will be some treated water without any use.
The project will not use treated water for toilets nor urinals because the project is so high that having double pipping will not be cost efective and the local engineer has experience lots of trouble with toilets and urinals turning yellow with treated water so the client does not want to use it for such uses.
Will pouring the remaining treated water to the sewage comply with the requirements given that cooling towers' water consumption and landscape has been satisfied?
David, if you pour any treated water down the drain, you can't get credit for that water under WEc2. According to the requirements, treated water must be reused or infiltrated on site.
Does that make sense?
It does, thank you Tristan.
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