| At the entrance to Dauphin Island, ground has just broken on the Dauphin Island Water and Sewer Board's new Water Treatment Plant, designed to achieve LEED certification. Constantine Engineering designed the facility, Watershed provided green building consulting, and J&P Construction is the general contractor. The project was funded through the Alabama Department of Environmental Management by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The state of the art reverse osmosis treatment plant will deliver high quality water to the public with extremely efficient, economical equipment. The building itself will showcase techniques the public can use to save energy and water at their own homes. Water conserving plumbing fixtures will be made even more efficient by the use of non-potable water to flush toilets. The landscape was designed to demonstrate low impact site design, and require no irrigation or chemical pesticides and fertilizers once established. Stormwater runoff from the building will be absorbed and filtered naturally on site.
Educational signage around the site will teach visitors how they can apply sustainable site design techniques and attract wildlife at home. The visibility of this site as one enters the island makes it an ideal demonstration site for green building practices. Public educational tours are planned during construction, and after completion, in collaboration with the US Green Building Council. |
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