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.

By Wes Holmes
I was expecting to find a typical, inefficient office park complex on my first visit to American Public University System’s (APUS) offices in downtown Charles Town, West Virginia.  Upon my arrival, I quickly realized that President Wallace Boston and the academic community at APUS were already setting very high standards for responsible, community-oriented growth and sustainable development.

 The APUS offices have been created from historic homes and buildings, mostly within walking distance of each other. I am honestly impressed by the facilities of the University.  It makes me even more proud to be an APUS student knowing that the institution implements a community oriented and culturally conscious business model.

In keeping with this unique paradigm of business growth coupled with community development, APUS recently broke ground on an ambitious project to convert a former scrap yard into a new academic center. In this effort APUS, will turn a vacant patch of land into an environmentally sound and cost-efficient place to work.

In the selection of this site, APUS has conformed to the site selection criteria necessary for LEED certification. The certification system specifies that when selecting land for development, areas that are designated as prime farmland or which serve as valuable habitat for important species should be excluded from consideration. The criteria also call for developers to avoid any land on or near a floodplain, wetland or waterbody.

The LEED site selection credit is intended to reduce the amount of valuable natural landscape developed annually. The goal is to encourage developers to focus on land that has already been altered and preserve what remains of the natural landscape. According to the Natural Resources Inventory, between 1982 and 2001, 34 million acres of natural landscape were developed for human uses. That’s an area roughly the size of Illinois, cleared, graded or otherwise altered from its natural state. In Charles Town, West Virginia however, APUS is effectively adding 45,000 square feet of commercial work space to the city of Charles Town while adding zero square feet to the city’s landscape footprint.

Through adherence to LEED principles, APUS has managed to create new economic opportunity while preserving landscape integrity.  Thus, taking a significant stride in establishing their institution within the Campus Sustainability Movement.

My name is Wesley Holmes and I will be your guide through the LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations Project Checklist. Building developments impact the environment by changing the physical characteristics of the landscape and ultimately influencing the natural processes of the area.

In the coming weeks we will review the literature concerning how the environment is impacted by development and how the USGBC credit criteria are intended to address these issues. The checklist is broken down into seven broad categories:

• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy and Atmosphere
• Materials and Resource
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Innovation in Design
• Regional Priority

Within each category there are a number of potential credits to earn based on a variety of design and policy elements. These credits are intended to reduce the environmental impact of traditional development practices. Each week we will address a credit and review the literature surrounding the environmental issue the credit is intended to address. With some exceptions, the Credit Checklist largely parallels the process of designing and constructing a new building.

As much as possible these blog postings and the credits they address will parallel the development of the new Academic Center in Charles Town.

APUS President Wallace E. Boston, Jr. and Provost Dr. Frank McCluskey are joined by several national and local leaders to break ground on the new APUS Academic Center.  The four story building will be constructed for LEED-certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) as a “green” facility and built to standards set by US Green Building Council (USGBC). Some of the environmental features include efficient insulation and windows, lighting controls to manage energy use and solar panels on the roof to provide a portion of the building’s energy requirements. When completed, the building will initially accommodate approximately 140 personnel and contain one of the world’s largest book collections on military history.

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