The Pacific Institute, a global nonpartisan water think tank, has released guidance for developers to plan, design, and operate onsite water reuse systems.
The Guide for Developing Onsite Water Systems to Support Regional Water Resilience “advances circular, localized approaches to managing water that reduce a site’s water footprint, improve its resilience to water shortage or other disruptions, and provide benefits for local communities and regional water systems,” according to a news release. Onsite water systems collect and treat water from onsite sources, including wastewater, rainwater, and stormwater, and reuse it for non-potable water uses like toilet flushing, outdoor irrigation, and cooling, which can account for over 75% of a site’s water demand.
The new guide helps site developers envision and evaluate how an onsite system can use a multi-benefit approach to build water resilience, support equity, improve environmental health, and protect public health. Each section includes sample questions to consider, ways for stakeholders to engage, highlights resources to examine, and offers recommended analyses. The guide also provides a range of case studies illustrating best practices and lessons learned.
“Onsite water systems are gaining traction across the U.S. and the world as a water resilience strategy,” said Heather Cooley, director of research at the Pacific Institute. “This circular approach can provide multiple benefits for the building, water systems, and the larger community. In addition to diversifying water supplies, they can reduce pollution from stormwater, create green space, and provide added flexibility and redundancy to centralized water systems.”
Related Stories
| Mar 21, 2011
Environmental Protection Agency says D.C. is No. 1 in green
Less than a month after the U.S. Green Building Council gave D.C. top honors for green building, the Environmental Protection Agency has named the District the top green city. The EPA names the District the nation's
| Mar 18, 2011
ESD announces senior management changes
Environmental Systems Design, Inc., an international leader in the design of high performance building systems, announced senior management changes that include Raj Gupta (a member of BD+C's editorial advisory board) becoming the firm’s chief executive officer, replacing Hem Gupta, who remains chairman, and Kurt Karnatz being named president.
| Mar 17, 2011
USGBC collaborates to develop LEED Demand Response Credit
Skipping Stone, Schneider Electric and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced today the formation of a committee tasked with enhancing the current Demand Response LEED Pilot Credit. The team will collaborate on enhancing the credit to enable commercial building owners and LEED green building projects to earn credits in LEED for enrolling in utility or wholesale market demand response programs.
| Mar 17, 2011
Carbon footprint of public sector buildings in England and Wales to be released
The energy usage of 40,146 public buildings—including schools, hospitals, and offices—in England and Wales is being released to the public.
| Mar 16, 2011
Foster + Partners to design carbon-neutral urban park for West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong
Foster + Partners has been selected by the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority to design a massive 56-acre urban park on a reclaimed harbor-front site in Hong Kong. Designed as a carbon-neutral development, “City Park” will seamlessly blend into existing streets while creating large expanses of green space and seventeen new cultural venues.
| Mar 16, 2011
CALGreen v. LEED: How does California's new green building code compare to LEED?
The California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), the country’s first statewide green building code, seeks to establish minimum green building standards for the majority of residential and commercial new construction projects across California. As the requirements of CALGreen take effect this year, many wonder how the new code compares with other established green building standards, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system. Let’s review…
| Mar 11, 2011
Texas A&M mixed-use community will focus on green living
HOK, Realty Appreciation, and Texas A&M University are working on the Urban Living Laboratory, a 1.2-million-sf mixed-use project owned by the university. The five-phase, live-work-play project will include offices, retail, multifamily apartments, and two hotels.
| Mar 10, 2011
Steel Joists Clean Up a Car Wash’s Carbon Footprint
Open-web bowstring trusses and steel joists give a Utah car wash architectural interest, reduce its construction costs, and help green a building type with a reputation for being wasteful.
| Mar 9, 2011
Hoping to win over a community, Facebook scraps its fortress architecture
Facebook is moving from its tony Palo Alto, Calif., locale to blue-collar Belle Haven, and the social network want to woo residents with community-oriented design.
