The project is planning to irrigate the planting area from an open water channel outside the project boundary. The function of the channel is to supply water for farmland irrigation and receive stormwater near the channel. The water is controlled by the local government, so the project owner will send an application for a permit. It is confirmed that the water will be used for irrigation only and a water meter will be installed to measure the quantity of water used on site. There is no description on the LEED Reference Guide whether such a case is eligible for WEC1.
We'd like to count the water from the channel as recycled water. It should be 100% reduction from the potable water. Is this case eligible?
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Vamshi Gooje
AssociateThornton Tomasetti | Fore Solutions
30 thumbs up
November 4, 2010 - 3:16 pm
Based on your question it sounds like the channel is replenished exclusively from stormwater runoff. If that is the case then it could be considered a variation of rain water harvesting. Pay attention to any pollutants/minerals in the water from the channel that may damage the plant species. Water could be filtered before using but it is not required to do so.
Kath Williams
LEED Fellow 2011, PrincipalKath Williams + Associates
140 thumbs up
January 10, 2011 - 2:55 pm
We just received a "denial" of credit on WE 1.1 and 1.2 where water was from irrigation ditch and processed through water rights system or "municipally-supplied irrigation water." The LEED reviewer's comment first said that a ditch is a creek and that our project had created a "natural reservoir", then went on to cite NCv2.1 CIR ruling dated 1.13.2003, "the term potable water is used in this credit to differentiate recycled graywater (lavatory or shower water) and harvest rainawater (cisterns or collection ponds) from water drawn from receiving waters (rivers, lakes, aquifers). Although the local groundwater at the project may not be suitable for drinking straight out of the ground, it still represents an important source of potable water. Using groundwater as an irrigation sources does not achieve this credit."
Maura Adams
Environmental Stewardship Manager177 thumbs up
February 9, 2011 - 11:24 am
So would water straight from a small river qualify as non-potable or not? It's not headed toward the city reservoir.
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11474 thumbs up
February 18, 2011 - 3:06 am
Maura, this is not directly addressed as far as I know, but I would say that it's not allowed here. The LEED Reference Guide specifically addresses "nuisance" groundwater and says that it's allowed, e.g. groundwater that needs to be pumped away from the building. In that light, I would interpret this river as "non-nuisance" groundwater, and not allowed.