Sustainable Landscaping for Corporate Campuses

Usually most of it can, subject to the STP producing water of consistent quality and to the storage and distribution being in place. The constraint is normally not treatment capacity but the absence of a separate irrigation network and storage, so treated water is discharged while fresh water is drawn for irrigation on the same site.

It depends on the quality achieved and the species chosen. Treated effluent typically carries higher dissolved salts than fresh water, which some ornamental species will not tolerate over time while many native and hardy species will. The answer is to select the palette for the water available and to monitor soil condition, rather than to abandon reuse.

Zone-wise metered consumption, which is what allows landscape water use to be reported separately from building use and compared against the treated water produced. Without zone metering, campus water reporting becomes an estimate that assurance processes will question.

It depends on what it replaces, on the planting type and on how the system is scheduled, so a single figure is misleading. The reliable statement is that delivering measured water to the root zone eliminates the evaporation and overspray losses inherent in sprinkler and hose irrigation, and that metering makes the saving visible instead of assumed.

Yes. Outdoor water use reduction, water-efficient landscaping, heat island reduction and site vegetation are scored under IGBC and LEED rating systems, including those applicable to existing buildings in operation. The evidence required is consumption data and specification records, which is another reason to meter.

Usually in stages. High-water lawn areas that serve no functional purpose are the first candidates for conversion, retrofitting irrigation zone by zone is straightforward, and species replacement can follow the natural replacement cycle. Wholesale replacement is rarely necessary and is disruptive to a working campus.