Rating System

LEED BD+C: New Construction, LEED O+M: Existing Buildings, LEED BD+C: Core and Shell, LEED BD+C: Schools

Rating System Version

v3 - LEED 2009, v3 - LEED 2008, v2 - Schools 2007, v2 - LEED 2.2

Inquiry

Oman Botanic Garden is a broad scale botanic reserve in Muscat, Oman. We are preparing a design submission for our 3 LEED nominated buildings and associated landscape areas. The LEED project footprint is within a much larger general project area of some 550 hectares. The total project area includes large natural landscapes comprising wadis or dry river beds. We have calculated the specified pre and post runoff volumes (SS6.1) and storm event volumes using the Arid Watershed specifications (SS6.2) as per the LEED requirements and have designed detention facilities to meet these requirements. We are proposing to use a traditional water capture and treatment process implemented in Oman known as a recharge dam. Surface water is detained behind a small dam constructed of natural materials in the existing wadi bed. It is then allowed to infiltrate back into the groundwater aquifers. This practice is widely used in arid areas of the Middle East and allows effective recharging of valuable groundwater resources. In order to minimize impact to the landscape the current drainage lines will be used, those being the existing wadis. These wadi areas are located nearby the proposed LEED footprint but not within them. All surface water flowing from the LEED Project will flow to one of two proposed recharge dams within the wadis where infiltration will occur. All detention and infiltration will occur completely within the project site. We are requesting whether the proposed treatment dams can be located outside of the specified LEED footprint but still within the project boundary and requesting confirmation that our assumption of 100% treatment for on site infiltration through this process is correct?