Best Practices

Perform a water-balance study for the entire project to inform decisions about where to focus water-saving efforts. Understand which end uses require the most water, identify all alternative water sources available onsite—such as rainwater and graywater—and note opportunities for using that water for interior water use and/or irrigation.  

It may be easier to use your own tracking form during the performance period, but for the final LEED documentation, you must use the LEED Online credit form rather than submitting your own custom tracking sheet. The LEED Online credit form has a built-in calculator, and it is cumbersome for LEED review teams to ensure that a project-supplied spreadsheet is calculating all purchases exactly the way the LEED Online credit form does.

The LEED Reference Guide does note some specific appropriate restoration and maintenance activities that support the credit intent, such as:

• Establishing new native and adaptive plants
• Constructing habitats
• Harvesting and propagating seeds or spores
• Eliminating or controlling invasive and non-native species
• Preventing and mitigating pollutants
• Monitoring biodiversity of flora and fauna.

Natural site areas, including water bodies, exposed rock, or bare ground, can also contribute to the achievement of this credit. These features can only contribute if they are part of the region’s historical natural landscape and provide habitat value.

This credit requires more than just native species; areas of vegetation must be biologically diverse and capable of providing habitat. Monoculture plantings, such as single-species turf grass or sedum on a green roof, cannot contribute to the credit requirements, even if they meet the definition of native or adapted. Consider substituting areas of manicured lawn with short-stature prairie grass and incorporating a diverse selection of native groundcover into vegetated roofing systems. 

Landscape architects, local restoration ecologists, horticultural extension agencies, and native plant societies can help identify appropriate species and conditions for the local habitat.

Be sure to clearly identify your LEED project boundary and ensure that it remains consistent across all LEED credits, including throughout your SSc5 calculations.

Train cleaning and operations staff to maintain atypical fixtures such as waterless urinals, composting toilets, and graywater collection and rainwater catchment systems. 

If a submetering or ongoing monitoring system is in place, be sure to track and record monthly use. This can help detect problems, contribute to a comprehensive M&V plan, and help with LEED-EBOM certification.

Be sure to use purple pipes or otherwise clearly label supply pipes carrying non-potable water. This practice avoids inadvertent cross-connection with potable water lines and provides educational value.