How standards contribute to sustainable development. LEED. LEED | U. Proven performance If you’re serious about saving money, conserving energy, reducing water consumption, improving indoor air quality, making better building material choices, and driving innovation, then LEED is the best choice. Bar none. Third-party certification verifies that your project is designed, built and operating the way it was intended.
It is also your first step toward managing your building through its entire lifecycle. Continuous improvement Behind the LEED program is an immense infrastructure developed to support the leaders in the industry as they innovate and create cutting-edge, high performance buildings. Lifetime of returns LEED-certified buildings cost less to operate, reducing energy and water bills by as much as 40%. LEED buildings have faster lease-up rates and may qualify for a host of incentives like tax rebates and zoning allowances. Each LEED-registered project receives access to: LEED Online Customer service Technical customer service is only a phone-call away.
Certify | U. Water Scarcity. US Drought. Why This Year's Gulf Dead Zone Is Twice As Big As Last Year's. Dead Sea scrolls: In the red part, "habitats that would normally be teeming with life become, essentially, biological deserts," NOAA says. First, the good news: The annual "dead zone" that smothers much of the northern Gulf of Mexico—caused by an oxygen-sucking algae bloom mostly fed by Midwestern farm runoff—is smaller this year than scientists had expected.
In the wake of heavy spring rains, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had been projecting 2013's fish-free region of the Gulf to be at least 7,286 square miles and as large as 8,561 square miles—somewhere between the size of New Jersey on the low end to New Hampshire on the high end. Instead, NOAA announced, it has clocked in at 5,840 square miles—a bit bigger than Connecticut.
It's depicted in the above graphic. NOAA. Data source: Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) Dead zones over time NOAA Why such massive annual dead zones? Source: LUMCON US Department of Agriculture Food and Water Watch. Water Resources of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey. Water is one of seven science mission areas of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Water's mission is to collect and disseminate reliable, impartial, and timely information that is needed to understand the Nation's water resources.
USGS Continuous Water-Quality Monitoring During December 2015 Flood Events New Tool Can Determine the Sources of Mercury Found in the Great Lakes USGS Water-Quality Data and Activities for the 2015 Gold King Mine Release USGS Monthly Groundwater News and Highlights USGS Current Flood Information and Resources Online, interactive water-cycle diagram for schools (3 age levels) Using Every Drop of Water: the Open Water Data Initiative USGS Groundwater Technical Procedures Videos. Wells Are Running Dry In Parts Of Kansas. Hide captionNate Pike fears that wells, like this one that supplies his ranch with water, will dry up completely after years of water pumping and irrigation in Kansas. Frank Morris/KCUR Nate Pike fears that wells, like this one that supplies his ranch with water, will dry up completely after years of water pumping and irrigation in Kansas.
Imagine enough water to fill a couple of Great Lakes, but spread under some of the driest parts of eight Western states. That was the High Plains Aquifer 60 years ago. But now, Nate Pike, whose been riding the dry rolling ranch lands south of Dodge City, Kan., for most of his 80 years, can't even go fishing at his favorite spring called St. "And that thing had a lot of water in it. Pike blames it on new pumping and irrigation systems. An irrigation well near Copeland, Kan., run by Jesse Garetson, pumps 1,000 gallons per minute, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That calibrated deluge has sprouted a vibrant economy on this arid land.
Grey Water Systems for Landscape Irrigation | Flotender.