Preventing Pollution: The How and Why

In a previous post the Solera team discussed the huge impact of construction waste on landfills nationwide; such waste generates 40% of total landfill waste annually. This type of waste includes unused portions of brick, concrete, wood and steel. USGBC recognizes the importance of actively recycling instead of landfilling this waste by awarding up to three credits on the LEED scorecard for this topic. Another credit that also addresses issues of onsite waste but operating on a much smaller level is the prerequisite Construction Activity Pollution Prevention.

As a prerequisite, this credit is mandatory for all LEED projects rather than voluntary like the majority of credits – there are seven total prerequisites in the New Construction scorecard. The intent of this prerequisite credit is to reduce the pollution that construction projects create by controlling three areas of common pollution generators: soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust. In order to comply with this credit, projects must create a Pollution Prevention Plan that all construction staff follow.

At Solera the following steps are being taken to meet this LEED prerequisite:

• To prevent sedimentation from entering the storm sewer the project:

1. Is using an Eco-Pan system which cleans all “cementitious” i.e. concrete material, from vehicles before they exit the project site; the material is then recycled with other concrete
2. Erected a silt fence at the perimeter of the property to retain sediment on the project and prevent soil erosion
3. Uses straw wattles at storm sewers

• To reduce airborne dust a vehicle tracking control area with 15 tons of recycled concrete was installed at the point of access of all construction vehicles entering and exiting the site. This system minimizes the amount of dust and particulate matter that is generated and reduces the spread of construction debris into the street and storm sewer.

• Topsoil that was previously located on the project was cleaned and removed prior to the start of construction. In most cases this soil was reused on other projects in the Denver area.

The combination of these measures is helping to reduce the pollution the Solera project generates. In the City and County of Denver, code requires these measures for any projects over an acre. Due to Solera’s project size, less than an acre, Zocalo is performing these mitigating measures due to it LEED goals, illustrating how LEED projects go beyond code and help to protect the surrounding environment down to the level of a project’s treatment of dust and sediment.