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FAQs about WEc3 :

Can I still use Option 1 if I have metered irrigation water use data but it’s only for a couple of months or not the whole irrigation season?

The site already uses reclaimed water for irrigation provided by the water utility or reuses graywater from the building for irrigation. Can the building still qualify for the credit?

To determine the baseline for Option 1, how can we determine what “conventional” practices are?

What if the building has no irrigation systems?

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EBOM-2009 WEc3:Water Efficient Landscaping

Natural vegetation

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AshLee Eustace
Sales and Marketing Executive Assistant
Sustainable Solutions Corporation
LEEDuser Basic Member
33 thumbs up

I'm working on a building with a large portion of natural vegetation which is not irrigated. There is also a separate area of turf, trees, shurbs that is irrigated. Should the calculations take all areas into account, or only the landscaped areas with irrigation? Thank you

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Profile picture for user danackerstein
Dan Ackerstein
Principal
Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC
LEEDuser Expert
545 thumbs up

Wed, 09/12/2012 - 15:08

Absolutely include the non-irrigated natural vegetation Michael. In a perfect world, EBOM would inspire all building owners to keep their vegetated areas with natural vegetation that does not require irrigation. The fact that it is not actively maintained or 'landscaped' is a positive, not a negative. Hope that helps, Dan
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AshLee Eustace
Sales and Marketing Executive Assistant
Sustainable Solutions Corporation
LEEDuser Basic Member
33 thumbs up

Wed, 09/12/2012 - 15:11

Thanks, Dan. I just wanted to make sure since the pulldown menu did not include "No Irrigation" as an option.
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AshLee Eustace
Sales and Marketing Executive Assistant
Sustainable Solutions Corporation
LEEDuser Basic Member
33 thumbs up

Wed, 02/20/2013 - 20:46

Just to update, I submitted using the natural vegetation and the credit was denied. We received the following comment: "...only landscaped areas may be included in the calculation. Natural areas that are not irrigated must be excluded."
Profile picture for user danackerstein
Dan Ackerstein
Principal
Ackerstein Sustainability, LLC
LEEDuser Expert
545 thumbs up

Wed, 02/27/2013 - 16:55

Yikes - I dare say the folks at LEEDuser should retract my expert status given a review comment like that one. My apologies Mike. I spoke to someone at GBCI about this topic recently and I think I failed to consider the various scenarios by which 'natural vegetation' might be present on site. If an area has been in a natural vegetative state for an extended period of time, GBCI doesn't believe that simply preserving the status quo merits credit in terms of irrigation water use. On the other hand, if that area were restored to a natural state from an alternative use, particularly a conventional landscaping scheme, it would be eligible for consideration. There's obviously some gray area there for case-by-case evaluation and the question of when things took place becomes relevant, but I hope this sheds a bit more light both on GBCI's reasoning around the issue and my unhelpful response. Dan
Profile picture for user tristanroberts
Tristan Roberts
Representative
Vermont House of Representatives
LEEDuser Expert
7780 thumbs up

Wed, 02/27/2013 - 17:14

I think we'll just replace your photo with a grain of salt, Dan.

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