There’s nothing like walking out onto a project site on a hot, sunny day, taking a deep breath – and inhaling a bunch of dust that’s whipping around the jobsite. Good times! Other than just being a nuisance and getting your car really dirty, onsite dust control happens to be the most common comment I’ve gotten back from USGBC reviewers on LEED projects for SSp1. It is often noted on the ESC plans, lots of time in the fine print, but it is required – and you need to make sure you are documenting it properly (it is a measure that is part of the SSp1 prerequisite, after all). There are a number of measures that are typically used for dust control, including preserving vegetation, temporary seeding, mulching, soil stabilization blankets and even just site watering to keep dust down. (Or as I’m told every time my mother visits, Pledge works great on dust). Your project likely has unique considerations, so pick the measures that work for you and make sure you document them! Date stamped pictures are the silver bullet of these things for LEED reviewers- make sure you have lots of them (neatly filed by date of course). It will save you from having to respond to comments down the road or filing an appeal – time better spent cracking a cold one (for suggestions, check back here on Friday afternoons!)
This is a very important consideration. Besides keeping dust down, most people (particularly developers,, contractors, civil engineers, etc.) need to be made aware of the REASONS behind SSp1, and why an ESC is so important. One way to understand the inextricable connection we have to this thin and rapidly diminishing layer of topsoil under our feet is the documentary, “DIRT – A movie with heart and soil.” Trailer: https://youtu.be/n8_dN5YWnyc