Last chance to comment on LEED v5

I think the credit category and credit structure are really strong here. I like the combination of fixture, process, outdoor, and reused water into a single total water use option, with prescriptive options for each. It allows project teams an easy means of documenting effiicency gains with a more complex option for project teams that are able to model whole building use. The additional points available for reuse-ready systems are a good addition in line with EV-ready approach to reward strategies that avoid costly future retrofits. 

I do think the category overall is not weighted as highly as it should be; the rating system's heavy weighting on carbon is important but in this case it allows projects to continue doing business as usual for water and still earn a couple points with better than baseline fixtures/equipment. Water has a big impact on ecosystem health and processing it is associated with up/downstream carbon emissons, plus more incentives are needed to accelerate uptake of reuse technologies and truly low-water approaches to landscape and process design. I would like to see the point values for total water use reduction scale up faster after 35-40%, or whatever the right break point is for not just improving efficiency but shifting to reuse or really changing systems design approaches. Maybe this can be built into the project priorities & innovation category so as to not restructure the points overall. 

In the total water use approach, are the baseline & design case calculated using only the systems covered in the prescriptive categories? If not, are there any water uses that can be considered negligible or difficult to quantify? Eg. emergency systems like eye wash sinks or residential ice makers. I would expect more uptake of this option if there is some flexibility for the team to exempt end uses that they understand to be rarely used or can't find reliable data on. 

Water Efficiency Credit: Water Metering and Leak Detection

Both Option 1 and 2 are set up in a way where a project would have to invest from $500-$1000 per meter or sensor. For certain projects, with many sinks or individual restrooms, the 50-80% fixture coverage could add up very quickly. Is there a way to not deter projects from pursuing this credit, but structuring it differently, where projects are encouraged to at least add a submeter or a sensor to the top 3- 5 most at-risk for leaks or highest consumption subsystems? By focusing on the most at-risk subsystems, projects can still achieve meaningful water savings and leak detection without incurring the upfront cost of installing meters or sensors on every subsystem. This approach makes the credit more accessible while promoting incremental improvements.