Sustainable site design strategies: Rainwater management

- [Narrator] Green fields are increasingly replaced…with impervious surfaces in many parts of the world,…disrupting natural hydrological systems, resulting…in floods and erosion that pollute water bodies.…The LEED rating system addresses this issue…by rewarding projects points for rainwater management.…LEED Credit Rainwater Management was previously named…Stormwater Management.…The reason that the name of this credit was changed…is to encourage building professionals…to approach rainwater as a desired resource,…rather than an unwanted consequence of a rain event.…

LEED Credit Rainwater Management encourages reduction…of run-off volume and improved water quality…by mimicking nature.…Conventional stormwater infrastructure collects run-off…from buildings and hard surfaces and treats…it in off-side facilities.…A well thought out site design can handle rainfall…on its own, instead of counting on…a conventional stormwater infrastructure.…This can be done by one,…or a combination of, various methods,…including infiltration through pervious surfaces,…