By: Wesley Holmes

Value: 1 Point

 

Intent- To limit disruption and pollution of natural water flows by managing stormwater runoff.

Stormwater runoff is a rush, or more appropriately a flush of water that is capable of conveying large quantities of contaminants to waterbodies in a short amount of time. Storm events are typically discrete and relatively short (hours to days) and produce exposures to contaminants potentially lasting from only minutes to hours. Pollutants, including sediment, trash and construction debris from development sites are picked up and washed into receiving streams and other aquatic resources during storm events. Pollutants that accumulate on impervious surfaces (auto fluids, chemical spills) and on compacted pervious surfaces, such as lawns, parks and athletic fields (Pesticide, fertilizer, pet waste) during dry weather are picked up and transported into receiving waters during rainfall events.

In addition to gathering pollutants as it moves  through the developed landscape, stormwater runoff will also pick up a less obvious but still harmful additive, heat. Impervious surfaces, such as rooftops, roads and parking lots, tend to retain heat when exposed to sunlight. This is what is known as a heat island effect. As stormwater runoff moves over these impervious surfaces it absorbs the radiant heat and increases water temperature. Studies conducted by the Center for Watershed Protection and others have found that when this heated stormwater is conveyed into a river, stream, wetland or other aquatic resource, it can decrease the amount of dissolved oxygen contained within the water column, which reduces the amount of oxygen that is available to aquatic organisms causing damage even death to some.

To help prevent the flow of contaminants picked up by stormwater from reaching valuable natural habitats the USGBC requires that projects seeking certification implement a stormwater management plan that captures and treats the stormwater runoff from 90% of the average annual rainfall. The Best Management Practices (BMP’s) utilized for treatment must be designed in accordance with standards and specifications from a state or local stormwater management plan which is capable of removing 80% of the average annual post development total suspended solids (TSS) load (Dirt and other waste). For the project in Charles Town APUS is utilizing a BMP pond, designed by the Civil Engineering firm Dewberry, to capture and treat runoff from the site. Given that the project site is a capped Brownfield, this treatment pond plays a crucial role in containing and treating the runoff from the impervious site cap.

In a typical stormwater management (SWM) pond, a flow regulator is attached to the ponds drain pipe to reduce the size of the outlet. A smaller outlet causes the pond to collect excess flow and reduces the erosion potential of the initial pulse of water. These conventional stormwater retention ponds will release stormwater over 2-3 hours. In a BMP pond the flow regulator attached to the end of the pipe is even smaller. The smaller outlet forces the pond to hold the water for a longer period, allowing more time for the sediment and attached nutrients to settle out in a collection area. Whereas a conventional SWM pond will release stormwater over 2-3 hours, a stormwater management BMP pond may release the water over 2-3 day days allowing for optimum removal of sediment and nutrient loads.

The treatment approach APUS has selected will not only maintain the pre-development rate of runoff from the landscape, it will reduce the impact of the water on receiving ecosystems. This approach complies with the BMP’s of the state and the USGBC and will aide in improving water quality for the Ranson and Charles Town communities.

Images Provided by EPA Watersheds Site

Links of Interest

EPA Urban Stormwater BMP Performance Tool

EPA National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices

Center for Watershed Protection

West Virginia Stormwater Management Plan

Located on a Brownfield site on the edge of the Charles Town Central Business District, Dewberry has recently provided sustainable site design services for the American Public University System’s (APUS) new Academic Center. Once the decision to build green was made by APUS, Dewberry assigned a land development project manager, Lisa McCauley, PE, and a LEED® Accredited Professional, Laurel Dumene, providing a green design and site design focus to the APUS LEED design charrette.

The process of designing the site plan became one of give and take between the owner and the city of Charles Town in order to meet landscaping, parking and storm water management requirements. Several variances were sought in order to achieve maximum use of the site.  Constrained by a railroad track to the east and existing buildings to the north and west, as well as a major access route into the city, George Street, on the south, the building needed to accommodate the town’s streetscape and be oriented towards the business district.

Greening the site plan to meet the LEED requirements for sustainable sites and water resources involved analysis of site selection, community connectivity, Brownfield redevelopment, and storm water management; allocation of parking spaces for alternative transportation and incorporation of bicycle storage; and a native vegetation landscape plan.  The green design consulting Dewberry provided for sustainable sites helped the APUS Academic Center qualify for LEED Gold Certification for new construction.

 Dewberry’s Sustainable Design Program

 A full-service engineering and architecture firm, Dewberry brings a unique perspective, beyond structures, to sustainable design.

Dewberry’s experience in sustainable design is substantial and varied. The firm offers a cadre of diverse professionals excited about making a positive contribution in all aspects of environmentally responsive design. From urban infrastructure to interior finishes, Dewberry’s design professionals have the tools, training, and experience to meet and exceed high levels of green design. The firm seeks clients who will work with them to create buildings, infrastructure, systems, and programs that contribute to their environmental context—from building site to regional and global ecosystems.

With more than 150 LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, Dewberry offers sustainable design experience in all major design disciplines including architectural, civil, mechanical, and electrical. The firm has worked with clients and construction professionals to assess and meet U.S. Green Building Council LEED^® certification requirements. 

 

 

Dewberry is a U.S. Green Building Council Corporate Member

www.dewberry.com

By: Wesley Holmes

SS Credit 6.1: Stormwater Design—Quantity Control

1 Point

Intent

To limit disruption of natural hydrology by reducing impervious cover, increasing on-site infiltration, reducing or eliminating pollution from stormwater runoff and eliminating contaminants.

 

Requirements

Case 1-Option 1. For sites with existing imperviousness 50% or less implement a stormwater management plan that prevents the post development peak discharge rate and quantity from exceeding the predevelopment peak discharge rate and quantity for the 1- and 2-year 24-hour design storms.

When land is altered for development, the way stormwater moves through the landscape is fundamentally altered. In an undeveloped landscape, trees, shrubs and other vegetation reduce stormwater runoff volumes through various processes. When rain falls to the ground the leaves of branches and shrubs catch or intercept the rain. This process, termed interception, lowers the total amount hitting the ground and reduces impact on topsoil. Transpiration is a more complex process where water captured in root systems is processed through the plant and released through leaves. In addition, the topography of an area usually will have natural depressions which collect water allowing evaporation. Ultimately these processes work to reduce the amount of water flowing through collecting streams and storm drains. According to a 2008 report issued by the National Research Council on Urban Stormwater Management in the United States in addition to entrainment of chemical and microbial contaminants as stormwater runs over roads, rooftops, and compacted land, stormwater discharge poses a physical hazard to aquatic habitats and stream function, owing to the increase in water velocity and volume that inevitably result on a watershed scale as many individually managed sources are combined.

When land is typically prepared for development it is graded, compacted and in many places paved. Grading removes the native soils and natural depression areas that once worked to retain rainfall and stormwater runoff on site. Compaction reduces the infiltration capacity of the underlying soils and increases the amount of rainfall that is converted to stormwater runoff. The addition of roads, parking lots, rooftops and other impervious surfaces work to further increase stormwater runoff volumes and flow. In the end, much of the rainfall that was once retained in the landscape is now converted to a flow of stormwater runoff. This increase in flow rates can have significant erosion impacts on receiving streams and riparian vegetation.

LEED Site Selection Credit 6.1 requires that the peak discharge rate and quantity of stormwater after development does not exceed the predevelopment peak discharge rate and quantity for the 1- and 2-year 24-hr design storm (Really heavy and lasting rain). Essentially this requires that the Academic Center development to maintain the rate and amount of runoff from the site. The runoff control is being achieved through a retention and treatment pond which will be covered in next weeks post on stormwater quality control.

External Links of Interest

EPA Urban Stormwater BMP Performance Tool

EPA National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices

Center for Watershed Protection

By: Wesley Holmes

Two weeks ago a student posted a question on our Brownfields discussion. The question concerned how the efficacy of a Brownfield cap would be tested after its installment. This seemed like a fair question, so I have spent the last couple of weeks making inquiries to the projects Civil Engineers, who are responsible for designing the cap, as well as the EPA and other professionals. What I have found is that local and federal authorities do not require follow up testing for projects such as the new Academic Center. The reason no additional testing is required is based on threat categorization, project size, and practicality.

As we discussed in the Brownfields Post the site in Charles Town was formerly utilized as a scrap heap. To prevent further leaching of metal contaminates present in the soil the site has been capped with concrete and asphalt. The cap consists of the building footings (4′ of concrete, compacted stone and a vapor barrier) and an asphalt parking lot.  Once those items are in place, soil testing beneath them is not possible. It is also highly unlikely that a significant volume of water, if any, could penetrate these layers and cause contaminates to leach further into the water table.

The level of risk associated with contaminated sites varies greatly depending on the site characteristics and the nature of the contamination. It is important to note that while the site in Charles Town is a Brownfield, the contaminate area is not a highly toxic waste site. Note, I am not trying to downplay the necessity of adequately sequestering contaminates on any Brownfield. However, for our discussion here, it is important to note that the site in question is not so large and so dangerously contaminated as to warrant a high threat designation, such as a Superfund site. Superfund sites are areas where threats are so great and the area so large that funds are appropriated from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), to address the issue and protect local residents and resources. On January 11, 2002, President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (Pub .L.No. 107-118, 115 stat. 2356, “the Brownfields Law”). The Brownfields Law amended CERCLA by providing funds to assess and clean up Brownfields. These types of policy approaches help make projects like the Academic Center possible. Click Here to Link to the EPA’s Superfund Site

For typical Brownfield sites, such as ours, the threat level and necessary follow up for remediation efforts is designated by local codes and authorities. For the project in Charles Town, the regulatory agency responsible for assessing threat levels and assigning follow up activities is the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP).  According to the WVDEP, the remaining exposed soil on the site of the Academic Center, consisting of small decorative plant beds, is not of sufficient size to require additional testing. This finding by local authorities would suggest that their inspection revealed insufficient risk to merit further testing of the soil after it has been covered with several feet of impervious paving material and a three story building.

Thanks for the question Henry! Please keep reading and feel free to submit any more questions you may have.

4.1: Public Transportation Access-6 Points

4.2: Bicycle Storage and Changing Rooms-1 Point

4.3: Low-Emitting and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles-3 Points

4.4: Parking Capacity-2 Points

Intent: To reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use.

This week we are looking at Site Selection Credits 4.1 through 4.2 which address ways to facilitate and encourage Alternative Transportation. This issue has wide ranging implications and addresses not only environmental impacts but health care issues as well. In May 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hosted a workshop to develop a scientific research agenda that would investigate how the design of a community’s built environment influences the health of its residents. A growing body of literature is showing that the design of cities, neighborhoods, and individual buildings can affect levels of physical activity, which is an important factor in the prevention of obesity and its associated adverse health consequences. Community design influences the amount to which its residents are dependent on automobiles, whose use contributes to air pollution, motor vehicle crashes, and pedestrian injuries.

Click Here to read more about the CDC’s Healthy Community Design

To help address these issues the USGBC recommends that developers and business owners implement design strategies and operational standards that encourage and enable employees to utilize healthier, greener commuting options. First is Public Transportation Access, worth 6 out of 12 possible points. This option has the greatest potential to reduce environmental impact because it allows employees to leave their cars at home. Utilizing bus and rail lines substantially reduces auto emissions produced during commute and also encourages a healthy walking habit. For the new Academic Center, this credit is achieved by using Option 2-Bus Stop Proximity. This option requires that a project be located within ¼ mile of a bus stop usable by the building occupants. The Academic Center provides convenient access to the local bus line operated by PanTran-Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority. Along with convenient pedestrian access, APUS has campus transportation services which run during the most frequent commuting hours and connect to public transportation.

In addition to public transportation access, the LEED design system also recommends the installation of bicycle racks and changing rooms to provide local employees the option to ride their bike to work. Credit 4.2 is achieved by providing bicycle racks within 200 yards of building entrance for 5% of building users and shower/changing facilities in the building for 0.5% of full time equivalent occupants. For the site in Charles Town, APUS is installing rolling racks that will facilitate up to nine bikes and changing facilities on each floor to accommodate their employees. The potential impact of bicycle commuting is gaining in popularity. All over the country, developers, city planners and employers are recognizing the potential impacts, not just for individual buildings, for whole cities as well. On December 11, 2009, a new bike access law took effect in New York City, stipulating that buildings with freight elevators must allow employees to use those elevators to take their bikes upstairs. The law aims to encourage bicycle commuting by eliminating worries about the security of street parking.

Click Here to read New York Times Article on 2009 Bike Law

For those employees who do not have access to public transportation and do not live close enough for bicycle travel, Alternative Transportation Credits 4.3 and 4.4 outline operational opportunities to address automobile travel and parking issues. Credit 4.3 Alternative Transportation-Low-Emitting and Fuel Efficient Vehicles (3 pts) to achieve these points APUS has elected to pursue Option 1 within this credit, providing preferred parking for 5% of parking capacity for fuel efficient vehicles (FEV). At the site of the Academic Center that amounts to six premium parking spaces located near the entrance of the building. While that may seem a small number of spaces, it is only because it reflects APUS pursuance of Credit 4.4 Alt Transportation-Parking Capacity (2 pts). The new Academic Center will provide parking for less than 5% of the total building occupants. This reduces the landscape footprint of the project and reduces the amount of impervious cover which aides in the control of stormwater runoff. Of the spaces available APUS has also elected to provide preferred parking for 5% of parking capacity for carpool vehicles.

The top two of Ten Simple Steps to Reducing Climate Change outlined by the Federal Highway Administration are #1 Buy a fuel efficient vehicle and #2 leave your car at home. By encouraging and incentivizing employees to make more ecologically sound travel choices APUS is able to make a significant impact on the local environment by reducing emissions and the impervious cover of their parking areas. The alternative transportation options provided by the buildings proximity to services allows employees to save a little money on gas and encourage healthy activity such as biking and/or walking to work. With these ecologic benefits comes health and economic benefits for the employees of APUS and the rest of the Charles Town Community

Studies Cited

Dannenberg, A., Jackson, R., Frumkin, H., Schieber, R., Pratt, M., Kochtitzky, C., et al. (2003). The Impact of Community Design and Land-Use Choices on Public Health: A Scientific Research Agenda. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1500-1508. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

1 Point: Intent

To rehabilitate damaged sites where development is complicated by environmental contamination and to reduce pressure on undeveloped land. 

As we discussed in Sustainable Sites (SS) Credit 1: Site Selection, the USGBC encourages developers to concentrate new development projects in areas that have already been altered from their natural state and preserve existing Greenfields. Greenfields are sites where natural features have not been developed. SS Credit 3, Brownfield Redevelopment, ups the ante and urges developers to build on land that not only has been previously developed, but as a result of its past use is now contaminated. As defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight, and takes development pressures off Greenfields and working lands.

The U.S. General Accounting Office estimates that there are more than 450,000 Brownfields in the U.S. amounting to estimates as high as 5 million acres! These numbers suggest that nearly every community in the U.S. contains a Brownfield site, for these communities redevelopment of such sites can improve community appearance and image, relieve associated health and environmental concerns, and produce a beneficial economic effect through increased property values and employment opportunities. Click Here to read an EPA primer on Brownfield Redevelopment.  Such is the case in Charles Town, where the site of the new Academic Center was formerly utilized as a scrap heap. As rain fell on the site, water seeping through old machinery and metal products became inundated with soluble metal forms and petroleum based lubricants and compounds which were then transported into the soil and ultimately the groundwater underneath Charles Town. While the scrap has been removed the soil still contains contaminates which APUS had to find a way to control. 

In order to facilitate the Brownfield redevelopment process a systematic approach is necessary for assessment and remediation of Brownfields.

The most important aspects of the approach include (1) site characterization; (2) impact (or risk) assessment; and (3) the selection of an effective remedial action. As APUS worked through this process it was decided that the most effective means of remediation would be to cap the site with concrete and prevent further groundwater infiltration from the contaminated soil. With the redevelopment of this site APUS has prevented groundwater infiltration of contaminates contained within the soil. In pursuit of SS Credit 3 Brownfield Redevelopment, APUS has effectively contained a watershed threat and improved water quality conditions for the local community.

Image provided by OxBlue Construction Camera

 External Links of Interest

 EPA Brownfields Site

The Brownfields and Land Revitalization Technology Support Center

 Green Remediation: Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices into Remediation of Contaminated Sites

 The National Brownfields Association

The APUS Green Building Blog is proud to announce the launch of a webcam allowing blog participants and guests to view the progress of construction over the course of several months.

Check back often, updates are several times per hour.   

Click here for live webcam.

Required: Intent

To reduce pollution from construction activities by controlling soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation.

On December 1, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) and new source performance standards (NSPS) to control the discharge of pollutants from construction sites This rule requires construction site owners and operators to implement a range of erosion and sediment control measures and pollution prevention practices to control pollutants in discharges from construction sites as required by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The disturbed soil generated by construction activities can easily be washed off of the construction site during storms and enter water bodies. Stormwater discharges from construction activities can cause an array of physical, chemical and biological impacts. The EPA believes the new rule, implemented February 2010, will help significantly improve water quality nationwide. (Click here to read the EPA press release).

The EPA ruling comes a full 11 years after the formation of the United States Green Building Council. Since the first version of LEED was issued in 1998 it has contained a requirement that all development projects seeking LEED certification must develop a Construction Site Pollution Prevention Plan. This pre-requisite requirement calls for the creation and implementation of an erosion and sedimentation control plan for all construction activities associated with the project. The plan must describe the measures implemented to accomplish the following objectives:

• To prevent loss of soil during construction by stormwater runoff and/or wind erosion, including protecting topsoil by stockpiling for reuse.
• To prevent sedimentation of storm sewers or receiving streams.
• To prevent pollution of the air with dust and particulate matter.

Images provided by http://www.stormwaterresourcesformunicipalities.com/monroe_county.htm

Strategies for addressing polluted construction runoff include temporary and permanent seeding, mulching, earthen dikes, silt fencing, sediment traps and sediment basins. Click here to view EPA Run-Off Control Poster. In pursuit of LEED Gold certification, the site of the new Academic Center will employ a variety of these pollution prevention strategies. These efforts will help to protect the water resources and aquatic habitats surrounding Charles Town, such as the beautiful and strategically important Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers.

External Links of Interest

EPA Fact Sheet Final Rule: Effluent Guidelines for Discharges from the Construction and Development Industry:

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/guide/construction/files/c_and_d_final_rule_factsheet.pdf

EPA Stormwater Discharges

http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/const.cfm

 EPA Guide to producing NPDES Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans

http://cfpub1.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/swppp.cfm#state

5 Points: Intent

To channel development to urban areas with existing infrastructure, protect greenfields, and preserve habitat and natural resources.

As we discussed in the last blog post, one of the principle components of sustainable development is the wise use of land and the preservation of existing natural landscapes. LEED Site Selection Credit 2: Development Density and Community Connectivity builds upon this concept by encouraging developers to concentrate the built environment in areas that already have existing infrastructure. By concentrating building sites in a designated land area, developers can reduce the amount of impact they have on the surrounding environment.

The new Academic Center will contain one of the Nation’s largest collections of military studies literature. It promises to provide a valuable research and educational resource to APUS students and scholars across the country. This resource would be of little value were it constructed with no electricity, no plumbing and no driveway.

It is easy to overlook the multitude of connections that make our homes and places of business function properly. The physical structure of a building is only one component of the buildings’ utility. Before the Academic Center can be fully utilized it must first be connected to the Charles Town utility grid.Power lines must be run from the local provider to the building site to power its lights, HVAC systems and computer banks. Storm drains and plumbing pipes must be installed to run water to and from the site. This is one of the issues APUS considered when siting the new Academic Center.  President Boston explains the decision to build in Charles Town.

The construction of these systems all carry with them environmental and financial impacts (Click here to read EPA Report on Land Use) . Whether the power lines and pipes are above ground or below the land must be cleared along their path. The further electricity is carried from its source the more energy is lost in its transmission. The more pipes, wires and connections required to go the distance create greater opportunity for rupture or failure and  increased maintenance costs. In making roads land has to be cleared, graded and paved fracturing the landscape. The further away a building site is located from an urban area the greater the impact the associated connections can have. The further electricity, water and people have to go the more materials will be necessary to make the connections. Longer power lines, longer pipes, and longer roads all translate to greater cost to the developer, greater consumption of materials and ultimately a larger carbon footprint.

By constructing the APUS Academic Center on a previously developed site, the University is able to capitalize on existing infrastructure. Roads, pipes and power lines that already exist can be tapped to supply the site with the utilities it needs to function. By adhering to the land selection criterion outlined by the USGBC, APUS has not only saved valuable natural landscapes from destruction, they have reduced the impact of utilities provision. Yet another small step towards sustainability that makes a great leap in environmental protection and financial security.

NBC News4 Washington has created an interactive tool to help measure your impact on the environment. It takes about 10 minutes to fill out. Be prepared with a recent gas and electricity. You don’t have to calculate anything – the tool will do it for you – just enter information about your lifestyle.