ID Credit 1: Innovation in Design - Reclaimed Water for Cooling Tower Make-up We have incorporated reclaimed water use for cooling tower make-up. Reclaimed water is available to the site by the City of San Diego. In addition to the reclaimed water, we have incorporated cooling coil condensate recovery which we will be submitting under separate cover for an innovation in design credit. The use of reclaimed water will help further reduce the demand for potable water. A reduction in potable water is covered in WE Credits 1.1 & 1.2 for irrigation and WE Credits 3.1 & 3.2 for building occupancy but does not encompass building operations equipment. We would like to determine if using reclaimed water for cooling tower make-up will be eligible for an innovative and design process credit.
The strategy of connecting to a municipal supplied reclaimed water system is commendable, yet the effort required to accomplish this strategy is not considered innovative. The cooling tower\'s make up water quantity would be small in comparison to other water demands and no information was given that would quantify the environmental benefits. In addition, the strategy described would have to be part of a comprehensive approach to reduce the potable water demands of the process systems by utilizing the graywater produced by the building. LEED encourages projects to incorporate comprehensive strategies that address reclaimed and gray water systems in order to reduce potable water use. Incorporating a graywater system to satisfy the process water needs for an entire building might be innovative. From the description given, it does not appear this approach would warrant an innovation credit.