Page 065 - STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE SITE OPERATIONS
Source section: Section 4 - Green Building Core Concepts and Application Strategies PDF page: 65 Guide page: 58 OCR quality: high (410 words)
OCR Text
| STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE SITE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE:
- DEVELOP A SUSTAINABLE SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN. The plan should address the application of chemicals and the cleaning of hardscape and building exterior, and it should include an integrated pest management program.
- IMPLEMENT CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. Work with ecologists and nonprofit organizations to implement conservation programs that protect species and habitat.
- MAINTAIN SITE LIGHTING TO PREVENT LIGHT POLLUTION. Ensure that fixtures are replaced according to the original design. If higher light levels are needed, include timers that shut them off automatically after hours. eee The rainwater systems of most American urban areas treat precipitation as a problem to be removed from the area as quickly as possible to prevent flooding. The result of this strategy, combined with the ever- expanding boundary of the urban edge and the increase in paved roads and hardscape, is damaging to the watershed’s functioning. The alternative, applying systems-based, integrative processes to rainwater management, encourages teams to mirror natural systems by slowing the flow of water and retaining water on site. Project teams can increase infiltration of rainfall into the ground, capture and reuse it, and use natural processes to treat the remaining water that runs off the property. Impervious surfaces, such as asphalt and concrete, prevent percolation and infiltration and encourage water runoff, causing soil erosion and in some places sedimentation of local waterways. This runoff can also carry harmful chemicals into the water system, degrading surface water quality and harming aquatic life and recreation opportunities in receiving waters. This nonpoint source pollution, from diffuse land uses rather than a single facility, is one of the biggest threats to surface water quality and aquatic ecosystems. LEED recognizes and encourages planning, design, and operational practices that control rainwater and protect the quality of surface and ground water. Many of these solutions fall within the scope of low-impact = development (LID) and Green Infrastructure (GI), approaches to land management that mimic natural e systems and manage rainwater as close to the source as possible.* Common strategies include minimizing 9 impervious surfaces, protecting soils, and enhancing native vegetation. The Department of Environmental & Resources in Prince George’s County, Maryland, for example, uses LID control measures that integrate five z components: site planning, hydrologic analysis, integrative management practices, erosion and sediment i control, and public outreach. This approach protects surface water by managing rainwater on site and s creating buffers between development and water resources. oO w a Ww .e) Zz fe) O Ww a fe) oO a 22 US. Environmental Protection Agency, Low Impact Development (2011), epa.gov/owow/NPS/|lid/ 4 58