Hello,
One project is working to achieve this credit via Option 1 (50% reduction in potable water use). Through a variety of common methods, we have reduced our irrigation water use. Additionally, areas which would normally be planted with lawn are now planted with native, no-water, plants. Between these two strategies, we were able to achieve the 50% threshold.
Last week we had a clarification request from our project review team which stated "Please revise the Credit Form to include only the irrigated areas included in the baseline and design cases". From my reading of this, they do not view planting native species to avoid irrigation as a valid method of achieving this credit.
As we used a combo of water-efficient irrigation and native non-water plants to achieve our 50% threshold, I am hoping that I am misreading their request and we will be able to include our non-irrigated plated areas.
Am I reading too much into this?
Tristan Roberts
RepresentativeVermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
11474 thumbs up
April 8, 2011 - 11:24 am
Eamon, I agree with you that you shoul be able to include non-irrigated planted areas.The reviewer may be referring to planted areas included in the baseline case that you have replaced with non-planted areas in the design case. That is not an acceptable strategy for the credit.
Eamon Geary
Sustainability Director - FacilitiesMichael Baker Jr, Inc.
90 thumbs up
April 8, 2011 - 11:34 am
Thanks Tristan, it is always good to get a double-check. We have not changed the softscape with hardscape at all. Maybe it was just a poor wording choice on their part.
Erica Downs
LEED ConsultantThe Green Engineer
254 thumbs up
May 5, 2011 - 2:38 pm
We have a similar area on our project that is landscaped but not irrigated. The irrigated areas have a mix of system types, so when calculating IE and CE we need to do a weighted average. Any thoughts on how one should incorporate the unirrigated area into these calculations? Thanks.