Inland Empire Utilities Agency Building (IEUA)
Chino, CA

Project Overview

The Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) is committed to building a better environment by example. The headquarter complex’s two new 33,000 squarefoot buildings feature energy savings, reduced natural resource consumption, construction cost savings and high water efficiency. The facility is the first public agency in the U.S. to receive the LEED® Platinum rating and the largest site in the country of this rating. IEUA distributes imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and provides wastewater collection and treatment services to more than 700,000 people within a 242-square-mile area in western San Bernardino County.

ima+design was selected to design the landscape architecture and irrigation for the project, including selecting plant material and the appropriate irrigation. IEUA named Ann Cutner, from ima+design as the Principal-In-Charge. The project began in 2000 as one of the first LEED sites in the U.S. and had the ambitious goal of achieving Platinum – eventually receiving 52 out of the 69 LEED points.

Project Challenges

IEUA officials knew they had a very specific set of hurdles to overcome if they were to meet their LEED goals. The building has close to eight acres of park frontage that was designed using native plantings – nearly 10,000 plants from 100 different species, including 19 different trees and 85 different shrub types – and it needed to be efficiently irrigated. The site was fortunate to have access to recycled water from its treatment facilities, which enabled IEUA to meet the irrigation demands using non-potable water.

Equipment and installations had to be durable, easily maintained, and rodentproof, something ima+design knew Rain Bird products could handle. “Choosing Rain Bird was simple. We never gave it a second thought. We were able to design a complete solution using Rain Bird products – everything from controllers to drip products,” said Jon Kawada from ima+design.

Solutions

Ann and the Rain Bird team divided the site into five “associations” – large areas, custom-tailored to water specific plant types. To service all plants, the irrigation system had to be divided into 138 sub-zones, each with their own watering schedule. This gave the irrigation system flexibility so that the plants were not over- nor under-watered. One hundred percent Rain Bird products were used in the irrigation design for this project. This site is a perfect example of the breadth of Rain Bird’s product portfolio.

“These products were flexible, dependable and durable – they were a perfect fit for our project’s irrigation needs,” said Kibum Sung from ima+design. Much of the site was irrigated with point-source drip irrigation for non-turf areas. The versatile drip system was installed with PVC laterals, and included: 120 Control Zone Kits, Xeri-BirdTM 8 Multi-Outlet Emission Devices, Pressure Compensating Modules, 1/4” Distribution Tubing, and PC Diffuser Caps and Stakes. ima+design demonstrated that it is possible to have a turf area within a LEED site, irrigated with 3500 Series Rotors.

Summary

Rain Bird’s experienced and knowledgeable staff supplied Ann and her team with the crucial support needed to achieve the highest level of LEED certification (total of 52 points achieved) including full water efficiency points. “Our goal was to advocate sustainable principles and bring in a landmark project under budget,” explained Ann, who is Vice President of the Orange County chapter of the USGBC. “It’s an ideal collaborative model between an enlightened client and a determined design team,” she asserted. The site was also awarded the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in 2003, California’s highest award for environmental stewardship.

Utilizing low maintenance Rain Bird products helped make this installation project a success. Rain Bird’s membership in the USGBC, knowledge and involvement with LEED, and comprehensive product portfolio helped IEUA earn full LEED water efficient landscaping points. The new Rain Bird irrigation system uses 100 percent non-potable water, and 73 percent less water than a comparable building utilizing traditional spray-only/non-native planting irrigation design techniques. An added benefit is a quick ROI – although IEUA expected a payback in 12 years, their estimates show a return on their LEED investment in only four years.

PRODUCTS USED

• Controllers
  ESP-40-MC
• Control Zone Kits
  XCZ-100
• Emission Devices
  Xeri-Bird™ 8 - XBD-80
• Pressure – Compensating Modules
  PC-10
  PC Diffuser Caps and Stakes
• 1/4” Distribution Tubing
  PT-025
• Rotor Pop-Up Sprinklers
  3500-PC
• Spray Heads
  1800 Sprays