IEUA Headquarters Earns California's Third LEED Platinum

The Inland Empire Utilities Agency distributes imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and collects and treats municipal and industrial wastewater for more than 700,000 people in western San Bernardino County. The new headquarters buildings are home to the agency’s administrative, executive, management, and engineering offices as well as operations space for an onsite wastewater-treatment facility. The buildings were also designed to meet the community’s needs, including meeting space for local events and temporary office space for nonprofit organizations. The design team included architect La Cañada Design, LEED consultant CTG Energetics, contractor TG Construction, and landscape architect ima+design. Some of the project’s funding came from the U.S. Department of Energy, the California Integrated Waste Management Board, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

With the goal of “drought-proofing” the Chino Basin, IEUA focused on responsible use of water at its new headquarters. Water reclaimed from IEUA’s treatment facilities is used to flush toilets and irrigate the landscape. This reclaimed water is also used for local agricultural and industrial needs and to recharge the regional aquifers. Dual-flush toilets, low-flow urinals, and other efficient plumbing fixtures further reduce the facility’s use of potable water. Water-guzzling ceramic toilets, acquired through an exchange program initiated by IEUA, were, symbolically, crushed and used as fill upon which the buildings’ foundation is set. The facility received all five LEED credits for water efficiency and two additional credits for innovative wastewater technologies and water-use reduction, and it is expected to use 73% less potable water than it would with a conventional design.