Sustainable Rest Area Design and Operation Transportation Research Board 2011 Waste Management and Resource Efficiency Workshop Portland, Oregon July 26, 2011
Sustainable Rest Areas Study Goals Conceptualize sustainable and renewable actions and features to rest areas Reduce rest area operation and maintenance costs. Actions that will be adopted by all CDOT Regions Conserving finite natural resources Evaluate carbon footprint and major sources Improve the visitor experience in Colorado
Methodology Selected six CDOT rest areas Team members assigned rest areas Literature search of sustainable actions Developed field evaluation checklists Materials and Reuse/Recycling Environment/Site Conditions Air Quality Water Quality/Usage Energy Public/Motorist/Trucking Outreach Created a rest area database Performed rest area sustainability scoring Data review and report development
Project Rest Areas Sterling Rest Area Visitor Center/Region 4/Plains Poudre Rest Area Adjacent to Visitor Center/Region 4/Plains Vail Pass Rest Area Recreational Rest Area/Region 3/Mountain Pass Area Hanging Lake Rest Area Recreational Rest Area/Region 3/Canyon Area El Moro Rest Area Basic Services/Region 2/Plains Area Cortez Rest Area Basic Services/Region 5/Desert
Study Rest Areas- Site Visitation 800,000 700,000 680,000 600,000 Number of Visits/Year 500,000 400,000 300,000 328,500 383,597 200,000 121,711 100,000 65,700 72,049 0 Sleeping Ute Mtn. (Cortez) El Moro Poudre Hanging Lake Vail Pass Sterling
Vail Pass Rest Area
Hanging Lake Rest Area
Sterling Rest Area
El Moro Rest Area
Poudre Rest Area
Sleeping Ute Mountain Rest Area
Carbon Footprint Scope 1- Direct Emissions Scope 2- Indirect Emissions Scope 3- Other Indirect Emissions Using GHG Protocol methodology Carbon footprinting 6 project rest areas Estimated for all CDOT rest areas combined
Carbon Footprint Results Sterling = 3,006 metric tons CO 2 e/year. Poudre = 2,517 metric tons CO 2 e /year El Moro = 2,281 metric tons CO 2 e/year Vail Pass = 886 metric tons CO 2 e /year Hanging Lake = 143 metric tons CO 2 e /year Sleeping Ute Mountain = 73 metric tons CO 2 e/year Estimated rest area emission= 36,394 metric tons CO 2 e/year
Study Rest Areas GHG Emissions 3500 18 GHG Loading (tons CO2 eq/year) 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 4 886 14 2281 15 2517 3006 500 0 73 Sleeping Ute Mtn. (Cortez) 143 Hanging Lake Vail Pass El Moro Poudre Sterling Scope 1 Scope 2 Scope 3 Total
12000000 Study Rest Areas-Annual Water Consumption 10,326,400 10000000 8000000 Gallons of Water/Year 6000000 4000000 2000000 1,200,000 1,620,000 1,431,400 0 41,682 39,554 Sleeping Ute Mtn. (Cortez) El Moro Poudre Hanging Lake Vail Pass Sterling
300,000 Study Rest Areas-Annual Electrical Consumption 268,290 250,000 Electrical Consumption (kwhr/year) 200,000 150,000 100,000 144,000 154,818 126,530 57,948 50,000 0 Sleeping Ute Mtn. (Cortez) 2,527 El Moro Poudre Hanging Lake Vail Pass Sterling
30.0 Study Rest Area-Water Consumption/Visitor 26.9 25.0 22.5 Gallons Water/Person/Year 20.0 15.0 10.0 9.9 5.0 0.0 0.6 Sleeping Ute Mtn. (Cortez) 0.1 El Moro Poudre Hanging Lake Vail Pass Sterling 2.1
2.50 Study Rest Area-Electrical Consumption Per Visitor 2.15 Electrical Consumption/Visitor/Year (kwhr/person/year) 2.00 1.50 1.00 0.50 0.88 1.18 0.39 0.33 0.00 Sleeping Ute Mtn. (Cortez) 0.01 El Moro Poudre Hanging Lake Vail Pass Sterling
Total Sustainable Scoring 117 33 30 35 32 31 37 Study Rest Area Sustainability Rating Sustainable Scoring Elements Total Poudre Sterling Cortez El Moro Hanging Lake Vail Total Materials and Reuse Score 13 3 6 5 5 1 1 Total Environment/Site Conditions 25 9 5 10 7 10 14 Total Air Quality 13 2 2 2 2 2 2 Total Water Quality/Usage 21 5 7 3 3 3 5 Total Energy 30 7 6 9 11 10 6 Total Public/Motorist/Truckin gn Outreach 11 7 4 6 4 5 5 Innovation Score 4 0 0 0 0 0 4
Cost Effective Actions Water Conservation Conduct audits Track water usage Evaluate urinal/toilet flushing volumes Explore waterless urinals ($) Explore water harvesting ($) Reduce lawn irrigation (or eliminate) Modify landscaping Reduce lawn areas (reduces mowing) Native vegetation (reduces water) Increase number of trees (carbon and shading)
Cost Effective Actions Electricity Movement sensors for interior LED lighting Timers/sensors for parking area lights Over lighting versus security Energy Star Hand Dryers Evaluate if air condition really needed Natural ventilation/tree shading Alternative Energy Options Solar Heat Pumps
Cost Effective Actions Hot Water Heating Determine if really needed On demand heating Solar hot water heating Solid Waste Management Compaction ($) Recycling program Evaluate need for soda vending machines Compost/mulch grass clippings
Other Sustainable Actions Community Involvement Recycling Volunteering/Holiday Coffee Local Information Signage Potential Partnerships Environmental Buffer zones Integrated Noxious Weed Management Green Procurement Purchasing Idling Restrictions for trucks
Rest Area Sustainability/Alternative Energy in CDOT ROW http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/research/pdfs/2011/restare as/view Art Hirsch-TerraLogic AHirsch@Terralogicss.com 303-786-9111 www.terralogicss.com
Vail Pass Rest Area Observations/Recommendation s Rest room area built into hill; innovative design No irrigation for landscaping; native vegetation maintained Use State of Colorado Procurement listing of green-low VOC chemicals for cleaning, painting and adhesives Develop stormwater/snow best management practices Install light intensity detectors to reduce daytime lighting Provide signage to the public to educate them on the sustainable operation of the rest area and environmental sensitivity
Hanging Lake Rest Area Observations/Recommendatio Water conservation studies (rest nsrooms, lawn irrigation) Native vegetation as a buffer from Colorado River Transition blue grass to a xeriscape landscaping Eliminate the routine application of fertilizers and herbicide Provide waste recycling containers to public Install stormwater/snow best management practices
Sterling Rest Area Observations/Recommendations Perform water conservation study Reduce landscape watering of buffalo grass Use mulch mowers to reduce solid waste Only rest area to offer recycling to public Uses electric vehicle for maintenance activities Reduce long term truck parking and idling from CDOT rest areas; evaluate truck electrification Evaluate use of waterless urinals to conserve water
Sleeping Ute Mountain Rest Area Observations/Recommendations Reduce toilets/urinals flushing volumes Plant additional vegetation in sparse areas Landscape with native species or xeriscape Eliminate the routine use of fertilizer and herbicide on lawn Motion detector in rest area to conserve energy
El Moro Rest Area Observations/Recommendations Place restrictions on idling times or provide electrification Transition from bluegrass to xeriscape landscaping Provide recycling containers Reduce mowing of native plants east of walking path Evaluate waterless urinals and water harvesting
Poudre Rest Area Observations/Recommendations Provide recycling containers Place restrictions on idling times or provide electrical hookups Reduce water amounts in toilets/urinals Open fencing promotes wildlife mobility Landscape with native vegetation or xeriscape Evaluate alternative energy options