23 Apr 2017
This objective tests the different strategies for reducing water use on a project.
How can you reduce landscape irrigation needs?
Drip irrigation minimizes the use of water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, or tubing. Conventional irrigation has an irrigation efficiency of about 65%. Drip irrigation has an irrigation efficiency of 90%.
A single ‘deep’ watering for an extended period of time is much better than watering every day for a fraction of the time. Water the landscape during the coolest part of the day (generally in the morning), and avoid watering on windy days.
Weather- or sensor-based irrigation control technology uses local weather and landscape conditions to tailor irrigation schedules to actual conditions on the site or historical weather data.
Perform at least an annual water audit of how much water is being provided to different areas of the landscape in order to evaluate the needs of the area and to reduce water use.
What is rainwater harvesting?
Rainwater can be collected in cisterns, barrels, or storage tanks. This approach is called rainwater harvesting.
Keep in mind that using reclaimed rainwater limits the amount of rainwater flowing into the drains and into neighboring properties or streets. This helps with the rainwater management issues from the Sustainable Sites category.
What type of water should be used for irrigation?
Municipal water use for landscaping can be reduced if not eliminated by choosing alternative water sources. Both rainwater and graywater, considered non-potable, are excellent alternatives.
You will hear about the types and quality of water repeatedly in LEED, because there are many synergies between the water credits and other credit categories.
What is an example of a waterless fixture?
The waterless urinal is one of those rare products that can save money and time while improving hygiene and protecting the environment.
What is the flow rate of a standard shower?
1.75 gpm.
What is graywater?
Graywater is untreated household waste water which has not come into contact with toilet waste. Gray water is water that can be used twice. Graywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater. Graywater can come from:
Graywater does not include:
What is blackwater?
Blackwater is untreated wastewater from toilets and urinals. Blackwater cannot be used for irrigation and also does not have one standard definition.
This objective addresses metering of water consuming systems.
What are submeters used for?
Installing water meters for different areas, called submetering, will help in measurement and verification of water usage. Usually meters measure cold potable water use.
What building systems should be metered?