Calculating irrigation water use is not required for this credit; however, understanding how indoor water use compares to outdoor water use can help you gauge where to focus your reduction efforts for the greatest benefit. Some water-saving strategies address both indoor and outdoor water needs holistically. For example, if you treat your wastewater onsite, you can use the treated water to irrigate your landscape as well as to flush toilets.
Perform a water-balance study for the entire project in order to make an informed decision about where to focus your water-saving efforts. Survey your project and site for all water sources—stormwater, graywater, and onsite wastewater.
Check for local or state incentives for water conservation, which can make this credit more feasible. Rebates are common. Also, some municipalities offer treated wastewater to buildings, which may be used for toilet flushing (although in most places it is restricted to landscape use).
Restoring or protecting portions of a site is a relatively low-cost option to pursue, and compliance with these requirements contributes to the achievement of other LEED credits such as:
Turf grass is an example of a monoculture species that is not compliant with the requirements of this credit. Monoculture plantings are essentially the opposite of a biologically diverse landscape, where only one species is planted over an extensive area.
Adapted plants are non-invasive species that, once established, can survive in the local climate and ecosystem without the assistance of irrigation and fertilizers.
Determine whether you will restore or protect portions of your site. You may find that it takes a combination of the two to meet the area requirements.
Walk the site with a biologist, ecologist, or landscape architect to determine whether you have invasive or non-native species (which would need to be removed), and to assess whether the land and water bodies need work to support native habitat. During this walk, note any native or adapted species that you can protect for credit compliance.
You can also protect or restore water bodies, soils, and other ecosystems to meet the credit requirements. Doing so may require the help of a biologist or ecologist, whereas protecting or restoring vegetation may only require a landscape architect. ”Other ecosystems” is a fairly open-ended term, and a project that tries to protect or restore something outside of the defined list will be approved or denied based on your ability to justify it to the LEED reviewer on a project-by-project basis.
Minimize site hardscape and surface parking. This generally opens up more area for the restoration of green space, which can be used as an amenity or for natural stormwater management (helping with SSc6.1 and SSc6.2).
