7- Construction Flashcards
All construction credits
Construction P7.1- Communicate and verify sustainable construction practices
Construction P7.2- Control and retain construction pollutants
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Construction C7.4- Restore soils disturbed by previous development
Construction C7.5- Restore soils disturbed by previous development
Construction C7.6- Divert reusable veg, rocks, and soil from disposal
Construction C7.7- Protect air quality during construction
Construction P7.1- Communicate and verify sustainable construction practices
Intent
Ensure site performance by communicating and verifying the implementation of sustainable practices throughout the construction process.
Construction P7.1- Communicate and verify sustainable construction practices
Requirements
Designate an integrated design team member (see Pre-Design P2.1: Use an integrative
design process), other than the contractor, who will be responsible for verifying the site
is built per the construction specifications and drawings.
Before construction starts, hold a meeting that includes at least one person from each discipline from the integrated design team, plus the major subcontractors.
- Review construction specifications and drawings and convey the project’s sustainability principles and performance goals to the contractor and subcontractors.
- Review the steps needed to achieve all the prerequisites and pursued credits.
- Hold additional meetings as necessary when additional subcontractors are hired.
Prior to construction, create a SITES Punchlist that assigns responsibility for each prerequisite and desired credit in a worksheet (see SITES Punchlist Worksheet) to a member of the integrated design team. That person will sign off on each assigned item as it is implemented.
Construction P7.1- Communicate and verify sustainable construction practices
Submittal Docs
SITES Punchlist Worksheet, with sign-off signatures and dates for implementation of each SITES prerequisite and pursued credits
Meeting minutes from the pre-construction meeting, complete with signatures demonstrating at least one person from each discipline from the integrated design team was present
Construction P7.2- Control and retain construction pollutants
Intent
Protect receiving waters (including surface water, groundwater, and combined sewers or stormwater systems), air quality, and public safety by preventing and minimizing the
discharge of construction site pollutants and materials.
Construction P7.2- Control and retain construction pollutants
Requirements
Create and implement an erosion, sedimentation, and pollutant control plan, commonly
referred to as a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) or erosion and sedimentation control plan (ESC) for all construction activities associated with the project.
- Regardless of project size, the plan (SWPPP or ESC) must conform to erosion and sedimentation requirements of the most current version of the U.S. EPA Construction General Permit (or local equivalent from projects outside the United
States) or local erosion and sedimentation control standards and codes, whichever is more stringent. The plan must list the best management practices (BMPs) employed and describe how the BMPs accomplish the following objectives:
> Prevent loss of soil during construction by stormwater runoff or wind erosion,
including protecting topsoil by stockpiling or covering for reuse.
> Prevent and reduce sediment discharges into storm conveyances, receiving
waters, or other public infrastructure components or systems.
> Prevent polluting the air with dust and particulate matter.
> Prevent runoff and infiltration of other pollutants from construction sites (e.g.,
thermal pollution, concrete wash, fuels, solvents, hazardous chemical runoff,
high or low pH discharges, pavement sealants) and ensure proper disposal of
all construction related materials.
> Protect any Vegetation and Soil Protection Zones (VSPZs) and other areas of
vegetation that will remain on site from construction activities.
Ensure the section of the site maintenance plan (see O+M P8.1: Plan for sustainable site
maintenance) is complete and describes the on-going management activities to protect
the integrity of VSPZs.
Note: The construction phase of the project is considered complete when the site is
stabilized, a notice of termination is filed, or a notice of substantial completion is issued.
The construction general permit (CGP) outlines the provisions necessary to comply with
Phase I and Phase II of the U.S. EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program (or local equivalent for projects outside the United States). Although the CGP applies only to sites greater than one acre (0.40 hectares), its requirements are applied to all projects for the purposes of this prerequisite.
Construction P7.2- Control and retain construction pollutants
Submittal Documentation
The SWPPP, ESC, or other local required plan (whichever is more stringent)
- If a local standard has been followed, provide documentation to demonstrate the local standard is equal to or more stringent than the referenced NPDES program.
Site plan showing the erosion and sedimentation control measures implemented on site
Narrative describing the erosion and sedimentation control measures implemented on-site
Video or photos that document the erosion and sedimentation control measures implemented on site
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Intent
Support healthy plants, biological communities, water storage, and infiltration by restoring soils disturbed during construction.
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Requirements - General
Restore all soils on site that have been disturbed by current construction activities and
that will serve as the final vegetated area (regardless whether the pre-construction soil
condition was classified as healthy or disturbed):
Locate reference soils to guide performance criteria that are appropriate for the site’s
vegetation, intended program, and site elements.
- If identified reference soils are not appropriate for the design intent, explain why
and describe the soil characteristics that will guide soil restoration treatment
efforts. (See Pre-Design P2.2: Conduct a pre-design site assessment and Soil+Veg
P4.1: Create and communicate a soil management plan.)
Restore soils to a minimum depth of 12 inches (30.48 centimeters).
- Where planting trees, restore soils to a greater depth and volume to support (biologically, structurally, hydrologically, and geotechnically) the intended mature tree canopy.
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Requirements - Organic matter
Test restored (final) soil conditions to ensure the following soil restoration criteria are
met:
Organic matter (required):
- Achieve appropriate organic matter for plant growth, water storage, and infiltration.
Amend soils with mature, stable compost such that, at minimum, the top 12 inches of soil (30.48 centimeters) contain at least three percent organic matter or
organic matter levels and depths that are comparable to the site’s reference soil and appropriate for vegetation and program needs. Do not use sphagnum peat or
organic amendments that contain sphagnum peat.
- Acceptable test methods for determining soil organic matter include the most current version of ASTM D2974 Test Methods for Moisture, Ash, and Organic
Matter of Peat and Other Organic Soils and TMECC 05.07A Loss-On-Ignition Organic Matter Method.
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Requirements - Compaction / infiltration
- Compaction (field test or undisturbed core sample only):
- Ensure bulk densities within 100 percent of the root zone do not exceed the maximum values given in Figure 7.3-A or Figure 7.3-B (see the Documentation
guidance section).
Achieve infiltration rates (inches or centimeters per hour) or saturated hydraulic conductivity (millimeters per second) comparable to the site’s reference soils and appropriate for vegetation and program needs.
- Note: This test must only be done in the field.
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Requirements - Soil chemical characteristics
Restore appropriate soil chemical characteristics for plant growth. The minimum
basic profile that must be tested includes:
- pH
- Soluble salts (electrical conductivity)
- Cation exchange capacity (CEC)
- Extractable phosphorus
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Sodium (in semi-arid and arid climates)
The pH, cation exchange capacity, and nutrient profiles should be comparable to the original undisturbed soil or the site’s reference soil and appropriate for
vegetation and program needs. Salinity must be suitable for regionally appropriate
plant species.
OR
Soil biological function:
- Ensure that soil biological function is restored in remediated soils. Soil biota
assays are complex and vary regionally, making potentially mineralizable nitrogen
serve as a proxy assessment of biological activity
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Requirements - Structural or engineered media
These specialized media are exempt from meeting the soil restoration criteria above when
used for applications such as the following. However, all other requirements must be met
and documentation submitted accordingly:
- Athletic fields
- Green roofs
- Raingardens
- Vertical green walls
- Trees in paving
- Bioswales
- Green vehicle easements
- Steep slopes
- Food gardens
- Constructed wetlands
Note: Neither imported topsoils nor manufactured soil blends designed to serve as topsoil
may be mined from the following locations (unless soils are a byproduct of a construction
process):
- Greenfield sites
- Prime farmland, unique farmland, farmland of statewide importance or farmland of local
importance, as defined by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (or local
equivalent for projects outside the United States)
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Submittal docs
Site plan illustrating the full extent of the site’s final vegetated area
- Indicate which parts of the final vegetated area contain soils that have been disturbed during construction (noting degree of disturbance), which parts will be
restored, and which parts will be re-vegetated, as included in the soil management plan (see Soil+Veg P4.1: Create and communicate a soil management plan).
Narrative clearly and concisely describing the following steps:
- The approach to restoring soil conditions that support the intended plantings
- The results and strategy of the soil sampling and testing and how test results
complete the following steps:
> Address required soil restoration criteria
> Reflect reference soil characteristics
> Inform a sustainable approach to restoring soil conditions
- Calculations or description correlating quantities of amendments with soil testing
results
- Special circumstances that may have influenced soil restoration techniques or
sampling and testing, including the following examples:
> For structural or engineered media, provide a narrative describing the components of media and how the media will be specified and mixed to provide good growing conditions for intended plants. By referencing published soil specification or blending guidelines, the narrative should show that the proposed specification meets current best available science and practice
standards for that media.
> If soil disturbance is due to prescribed burning, provide both a narrative outlining how burning will be done so as to minimize damage to the soil horizon, and verification from the prescribed burning professional indicating that soil horizons modified due to burning have been restored.
Soil tests to demonstrate that the selected restoration techniques achieved criteria for the following categories in restored soils:
1. Organic matter (required)
2. Compaction (field test or undisturbed core sample only)
OR
Infiltration (field test only)
3. Soil chemical characteristics
OR
Soil biological function
Receipts from soil, compost, and amendments suppliers to demonstrate that measures
were taken to restore soil
Construction P7.3- Restore soils disturbed during construction
Bulk densities
Maximum allowable bulk densities for sustainable soil management are based on 95
percent of the bulk density value at which growth limitations are expected for an average
range of plant material, as described by Daddow and Warrington (1983). While these
requirements are expressed as maximum allowable bulk densities, it is important to note
that densities that are too low can also cause problems, especially for lawn areas or
slopes.
To calculate the maximum allowable bulk density for a soil:
–Obtain a laboratory analysis of the sand, silt, and clay percentages
–Sketch a parallel line for each percentage along the appropriate axis
–At the point of intersection, interpolate a value between the isodensity lines
»For example, in Figure 7.3-A, clay loam reflects a soil comprised of 33 percent
sand, 33 percent silt, and 33 percent clay. Interpolating a value between the
1.47 and 1.38 isodensity lines yields an approximate maximum allowable bulk
density of 1.43 g/cm3. Proctor laboratory tests are not useful to document
compliance with this compaction requirement.
Construction C7.4- Restore soils disturbed by previous development
Intent & Points
3-5 points
Support healthy plants, biological communities, water storage, and infiltration by restoring soils in areas disturbed by previous development.
Construction C7.4- Restore soils disturbed by previous development
Requirements
Restore soils on site disturbed by previous development. These requirements apply only to previously disturbed areas that will be re-vegetated. Areas with soils that were previously developed and restored per requirements in Construction P7.3: Restore soils disturbed construction may also be included here.
To count towards this credit, restored soils must cover a minimum of 500 square feet
(46.46 square meters) or five percent of the total project area. Credit point values are based on the surface area of soil disturbed by previous development that will be revegetated and the degree of disturbance of those soils (disturbed or severely disturbed).
See Point Value Table 7.4-A below.
Locate reference soils to guide and determine performance criteria that are appropriate
for the site’s vegetation, intended program, and site elements.
- If identified reference soils are not appropriate for the design intent, explain why and describe the soil characteristics that will guide soil restoration treatment
efforts. (See Pre-Design P2.2: Conduct a pre-design site assessment and Soil+Veg P4.1: Create and communicate a soil management plan.)
Restore disturbed existing soils to a minimum depth of 12 inches (30.48 centimeters)
- Where planting trees, restore soils to a greater depth and volume to support (biologically, structurally, hydrologically, and geotechnically) the intended mature tree canopy.
Test restored (final) soil conditions to ensure the following soil restoration criteria are
met (see Construction P7.3: Restore soils disturbed during construction for details):
1. Organic matter (required)
2. Compaction (field test or undisturbed core sample only)
OR
Infiltration (field test only)
3. Soil chemical characteristics
OR
Soil biological function
Construction C7.4- Restore soils disturbed by previous development
Requirements - structural or engineered media
These specialized media are exempt from meeting the soil restoration criteria above when
used for applications such as the following. However, all other requirements must be met
and documentation submitted accordingly:
- Athletic fields
- Green roofs
- Raingardens
- Vertical green walls
- Trees in paving
- Bioswales
- Green vehicle easements
- Steep slopes
- Food gardens
- Constructed wetlands
Note: Imported topsoils, or manufactured soil blends designed to serve as topsoil, may
not be mined from the following locations (unless soils are a byproduct of a construction
process):
- Greenfield sites
- Prime farmland, unique farmland, farmland of statewide importance or farmland of local
importance, as defined by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (or local
equivalent for projects outside the United States)
Construction C7.4- Restore soils disturbed by previous development
Submittal docs
Site plan indicating the full extent of the site’s final vegetated area
- Indicate which parts of the final vegetated area contain soils that have been disturbed during construction (noting degree of disturbance), which parts will be
restored, and which parts will be re-vegetated, as included in the soil management plan (see Soil+Veg P4.1: Create and communicate a soil management plan).
Narrative clearly and concisely describing the following:
- The approach to restoring soil conditions that support the intended plantings
- The results and strategy of the soil sampling and testing and how test results complete the following steps:
> Address required soil restoration criteria
> Reflect reference soil characteristics
> Inform a sustainable approach to restoring soil conditions
- Calculations or description correlating quantities of amendments with soils testing
results
- Special circumstances that may have influenced soil restoration techniques or sampling and testing, including the following examples:
> For structural or engineered media, provide a narrative describing the components
of media and how the media will be specified and mixed to provide good
growing conditions for intended plants. By referencing published soil specification
or blending guidelines, the narrative should show that the proposed
specification meets current best available science and practice standards for
that media.
> If soil disturbance is due to prescribed burning, provide both a narrative
outlining how burning will be done so as to minimize damage to the soil
horizon, and verification from the prescribed burning professional indicating
that soil horizons modified due to burning have been restored.
Soil tests to demonstrate that the selected restoration techniques achieved criteria for
the following categories in restored soils:
1. Organic matter (required)
2. Compaction (field test or undisturbed core sample only)
OR
Infiltration (field test only)
3. Soil chemical characteristics
OR
Soil biological function
Receipts from soil, compost, and amendments suppliers to demonstrate that measures
were taken to restore soil
Construction C7.5- Divert construction and demolition materials from disposal
Intent & Points
3-4 points
Support a net-zero waste site and minimize down-cycling of materials by diverting, reusing,
Construction C7.5- Divert construction and demolition materials from disposal
Requirements
Percent calculations may be based on weight or volume (tons or cubic yards), but
must be submitted consistently throughout. The requirements apply to non-hazardous
construction and demolition materials.
Calculations in this credit exclude land-clearing materials generated during all phases of design and construction and structures and paving reused on site in their existing form (see Links to other SITES prerequisites and credits section).
Develop and implement a construction waste management plan that, at a minimum,
identifies the materials to be diverted from disposal and whether they will be sorted on
site or comingled.
Divert materials from disposal by recycling, salvaging or reusing structural materials
(e.g. bricks, steel, wood), and road and infrastructure materials (e.g., pavement,
drainage structures) for at least:
- 50 percent of structural materials and 95 percent of road and 3 points
infrastructure materials
- 75 percent of structural materials and 95 percent of road and 4 points
infrastructure materials
Construction C7.5- Divert construction and demolition materials from disposal
Submittal docs
List or table that includes:
- All construction and demolition (C&D) materials generated on site, specifying each
material as either structural or road and infrastructural
- Location of receiving agent
- Quantity of waste (tons or cubic yards) diverted by type (e.g., structural and road
and infrastructure materials)
- Total C&D waste (tons or cubic yards) generated during construction
Narrative that describes the implementation of the construction and demolition
management plan and practices followed on site
Project specifications and details on the handling of demolition materials, including
sorting on site or comingling
Construction C7.5- Divert construction and demolition materials from disposal
Documentation guidance
If salvaging on-site C&D materials for reuse within the SITES project boundary (see
Materials C5.4: Reuse salvaged materials and plants), the project location is the receiving agent.
Construction C7.6- Divert reusable vegetation, rocks, and soil from disposal
Intent & Points
3-4 points
Support a net-zero waste site by diverting from disposal vegetation, mineral and rock waste, and soils generated during construction.
Construction C7.6- Divert reusable vegetation, rocks, and soil from disposal
Requirements
The requirements apply to all on-site plant material, mineral and rock waste, and soils
generated during the land-clearing activities of the site during all phases of design and
construction.
Contaminated soils and diseased or invasive plant materials should not be included in
calculations of land-clearing materials totals. Salvaging plants is a technique that can be
used to meet the requirements of this credit (see Links to other SITES prerequisites and
credits section).
Soils must be reused for functions comparable to their original function (i.e., topsoil is used as topsoil, subsoil as subsoil, or subsoil amended to become functional topsoil).
Retain 100 percent of land-clearing materials:
- For use within 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) of the site (3 points)
- On site (4 points)
Construction C7.6- Divert reusable vegetation, rocks, and soil from disposal
Submittal docs
Estimated total of the plant material, mineral and rock waste, and soils to be
generated during the land-clearing activities of the site during all phases of design and construction (in tons or cubic yards)
Location of receiving agents (if applicable), their distance from the site, and quantity of
materials (in tons or cubic yards) received
Documentation (such as receipts and photographs) to verify that land-clearing materials are diverted, retained, reused, or amended according to requirements
Signature of owner or owner’s representative that no land-clearing materials were disposed of in a landfill
Construction C7.6- Divert reusable vegetation, rocks, and soil from disposal
Documentation guidance
If salvaging on-site vegetation or rocks for reuse within the SITES project boundary (see
Materials C5.4: Reuse salvaged materials and plants), the receiving agent is the project
location.
Construction C7.7- Protect air quality during construction
Intent & Points
2-4 points
Protect air quality and reduce pollution by using construction equipment that reduces emissions of localized air pollutants and greenhouse gasses.
Construction C7.7- Protect air quality during construction
Requirements
These requirements apply to all diesel engines used on site during construction. Delivery vehicles are not covered in this credit; exclude them from calculations.
Establish a policy to reduce diesel emissions from idling construction equipment. Limit
unnecessary idling to no more than five minutes in any 60-minute period.
Implement a preventative maintenance plan for all equipment according to engine
manufacturer specifications.
Use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel that meets American Society of Testing and Materials
(ASTM) specifications with sulfur less than or equal to 15 ppm for all non-road diesel
equipment.
Use no construction equipment with Tier 0 engines.
50 percent of the total run-time hours of construction equipment meets one of the
following criteria:
- Tier 2 or higher engines (2 points)
- Tier 3 or higher engines (3 points)
- Tier 4 or higher engines (4 points)
Construction C7.7- Protect air quality during construction
Submittal docs
Calculations demonstrating the appropriate percentage of equipment run-time hours
meets tier requirements
A list of all construction equipment used on site, indicating the engine tier and run-time
hours for each
Fuel purchase records demonstrating fuel used during site construction is ultra-low
sulfur or biodiesel that meets ASTM standards
An equipment maintenance plan demonstrating equipment will be maintained according to manufacturer’s specifications
The idle-reduction policy used on site
Narrative describing how the idle-reduction policy will be enforced during construction
