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LEED v4
Core and Shell
Sustainable Sites

Construction activity pollution prevention

LEED CREDIT

CS-v4 SSp1: Construction Activity Pollution Prevention Required

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View the LEED v4.1 version of this credit »

SPECIAL REPORT

LEEDuser expert

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Emily Purcell

LEED AP ND, WELL AP, Fitwel Amb.

CannonDesign
Sustainable Design Lead

SPECIAL REPORT

LEEDuser’s viewpoint

Frank advice from LEED experts

LEED is changing all the time, and every project is unique. Even seasoned professionals can miss a critical detail and lose a credit or even a prerequisite at the last minute. Our expert advice guides our LEEDuser Premium members and saves you valuable time.

Credit language

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Create and implement an erosion and sedimentation control plan for all construction activities associated with the project. The plan must conform to the erosion and sedimentation requirements of the 2012 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Construction General Permit (CGP) or local equivalent, whichever is more stringent. Projects must apply the CGP regardless of size. The plan must describe the measures implemented.

SITES-LEED Equivalency

This LEED credit (or a component of this credit) has been established as equivalent to a SITES v2 credit or component. For more information on using the equivalency as a substitution in your LEED or SITES project, see this article and guidance document.

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What does it cost?

Cost estimates for this credit

On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.

Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.

This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.

Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my local code is more or less stringent than the EPA CGP?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Is there a table that summarizes the changes that were introduced by the 2012 version of the standard, as compared to 2003?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

If a project decided to pursue LEED after the completion of demolition but before construction, can we prove ESC measures were implemented through pictures, without having an explicit ESC plan?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Addenda

7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise the greenfield definition to read:
"greenfield area that has not been graded, compacted, cleared, or disturbed and that supports (or could support) open space, habitat, or natural hydrology."

Delete "previously developed" and its definition.

Add the term "previously disturbed":
"previously disturbed areas that have been graded, compacted, cleared, previously developed, or disturbed in any way. These are areas that do not qualify as 'greenfield.'"
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Step 2. Review Local Code Against EPA CGP
Delete following clause in first bullet: "no additional ESC plan, as described below, is needed"

Step 4. Create ESC Plan
Delete the second sentence in the first bullet. Then replace the second bullet with: "Zero lot line projects and projects that cause no exterior site disturbance can instead develop a narrative that describes why no ESC plan is necessary for the site."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
See all forum discussions about this credit »

Documentation toolkit

The motherlode of cheat sheets

LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.

LEEDuser expert

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Emily Purcell

LEED AP ND, WELL AP, Fitwel Amb.

CannonDesign
Sustainable Design Lead

Get the inside scoop

Our editors have written a detailed analysis of nearly every LEED credit, and LEEDuser premium members get full access. We’ll tell you whether the credit is easy to accomplish or better left alone, and we provide insider tips on how to document it successfully.

USGBC logo

© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.

Requirements

Create and implement an erosion and sedimentation control plan for all construction activities associated with the project. The plan must conform to the erosion and sedimentation requirements of the 2012 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Construction General Permit (CGP) or local equivalent, whichever is more stringent. Projects must apply the CGP regardless of size. The plan must describe the measures implemented.

SITES-LEED Equivalency

This LEED credit (or a component of this credit) has been established as equivalent to a SITES v2 credit or component. For more information on using the equivalency as a substitution in your LEED or SITES project, see this article and guidance document.

In the end, LEED is all about documentation. LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit, for premium members only, 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.

How do I know if my local code is more or less stringent than the EPA CGP?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

Is there a table that summarizes the changes that were introduced by the 2012 version of the standard, as compared to 2003?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)

If a project decided to pursue LEED after the completion of demolition but before construction, can we prove ESC measures were implemented through pictures, without having an explicit ESC plan?

The answer to this question is available to LEEDuser premium members. Start a free trial »

(If you're already a premium member, log in here.)
7/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Revise the greenfield definition to read:
"greenfield area that has not been graded, compacted, cleared, or disturbed and that supports (or could support) open space, habitat, or natural hydrology."

Delete "previously developed" and its definition.

Add the term "previously disturbed":
"previously disturbed areas that have been graded, compacted, cleared, previously developed, or disturbed in any way. These are areas that do not qualify as 'greenfield.'"
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes
10/1/2014 – Updated: 2/14/2015
Reference Guide Correction
Description of change:
Step 2. Review Local Code Against EPA CGP
Delete following clause in first bullet: "no additional ESC plan, as described below, is needed"

Step 4. Create ESC Plan
Delete the second sentence in the first bullet. Then replace the second bullet with: "Zero lot line projects and projects that cause no exterior site disturbance can instead develop a narrative that describes why no ESC plan is necessary for the site."
Campus Applicable
Yes
Internationally Applicable:
Yes

LEEDuser expert

headshot

Emily Purcell

LEED AP ND, WELL AP, Fitwel Amb.

CannonDesign
Sustainable Design Lead

See all LEEDuser forum discussions about this credit » Subscribe to new discussions about CS-v4 SSp1 View the LEED v4.1 version of this credit