LE03 - Water pollution – Above Green

(3 credits available)

Aim

To ensure that measures are put in place to protect the local watercourse from pollution and other environmental damage.

Assessment Criteria

The following is required to demonstrate compliance:

One credit

A comprehensive and up-to-date drainage plan of the site is produced by a appropriately qualified professional.
The drainage plan will be made available to the authority responsible for maintaining the drainage infrastructure and future development occupiers.
Measures are put in place to avoid any potential water pollution during construction in accordance best-practice guidance for pollution prevention.

Two credits

Criteria 1 and 3 are achieved.
An appropriately qualified professional designs a system to ensure that the run-off from all hard surfaces shall receive an appropriate level of treatment in accordance with best practice SuDS guidance to minimise the risk of pollution.
Where the building has chemical/liquid gas storage areas, shut-off valves are fitted to the site drainage system to prevent the escape of chemicals to natural watercourses (in the event of a spillage, leak or bunding failure).
Oil/petrol separators (or equivalent systems) are specified in surface water drainage systems, where there is a high risk of contamination or spillage of substances such as petrol and oil.

Three credits

Criteria 1 to 7 are achieved.
The appropriately qualified professional confirms that there will be no discharge from the developed site for rainfall depths up to 5mm.

Compliance Notes

Ref	Terms	Description
CN1	Drainage plan . See criterion 1	A comprehensive and up-to-date drainage plan of the site, which accurately identifies all drains, must be produced and handed over to the new occupier(s).
CN2	Appropriately Qualified Professional . See criterion 1 & 4	A consultant with qualifications and experience relevant to designing SuDS and flood prevention measures and completing peak rate of run-off calculations. Where complex flooding calculations and prevention measures are required, this must be a specialist hydrological engineer.
CN3	Areas where oil separators are required . See criterion 7	‘Pollution Prevention Guide 3 Use and design of oil separators in surface water drainage systems’1 defines the type of areas on a development where separators are required. In some instances, where the risk of contamination is infrequent and potential spills will be small, oil interceptors may not be required if appropriately designed Sustainable Urban Drainage systems are specified. Refer to PPG3 for additional guidance.
CN4	Best practice guidance for pollution prevention: See criterion 3	Please refer to the country-specific reference sheet in the BREEAM Communities Approved Standards list to locate the appropriate best practice guidance in the country of assessment. Alternatively, please demonstrate applicability as follows: The minimum requirements as set out in the approved standards list are covered by the proposed documents and are submitted to BRE Global for approval; OR Where appropriate alternative standards do not exist for a country, the design team should demonstrate compliance with the UK or European standards as listed in each relevant country reference sheet.
CN5	Best practice guidance SuDS guidance: see criterion 5	Please refer to the country-specific reference sheet in the BREEAM Communities Approved Standards list to locate the appropriate best practice guidance in the country of assessment. Alternatively, please demonstrate applicability as follows: The minimum requirements as set out in the approved standards list are covered by the proposed documents and are submitted to BRE Global for approval; OR Where appropriate alternative standards do not exist for a country, the design team should demonstrate compliance with the UK or European standards as listed in each relevant country reference sheet.
CN6	5mm discharge for minimising watercourse pollution . See criterion 9	A range of SuDS techniques can be used to prevent discharge from the site for rainfall depths of up to 5 mm; however, end-of-pipe solutions, such as ponds and basins, will only be deemed to comply where the principal run-off control to prevent discharge from the first 5 mm of a rainfall event is achieved using source control and site control methods. Green roofs and permeable surfaces can be deemed to comply with this criterion for the rain that falls onto their surface. However, evidence is still required to demonstrate that the 5 mm rainfall from all other hard surfaces on site is being dealt with, to allow this credit to be awarded.
CN7	Level of Treatment	When used in the context of one, two or three levels of treatment for surface water, treatment level should be regarded as the number of SuDS components in series through which run-off passes from the originating surface on which rainfall fell to the site discharge point. Where a SuDS component has more than one treatment process, it might be considered to provide more than one level of treatment. In these circumstances please contact the BREEAM Centre: breeam@bre.co.uk
CN8	Use of the SuDS Manual . See criterion 5	The SuDS Manual best practice recommendations should be followed where there is a risk to groundwater from infiltration (for example, contaminated land or developments with high risk of pollution incidents).

Evidence

Criteria No.	Final Assessment
1–2 & 5–9	A copy of the drainage plan and confirmation it has been undertaken by an appropriately qualified professional.
3	Written commitment from the developer.

Additional Information

None.