A project team is pursuing Water Efficiency Credit, Outdoor Water Use. The site contains a total of 57,500 ft² (5,342 m²) of softscape. What ratio of turf grass and native or adapted landscape is required to achieve four points for this credit? (Refer to the table below) Turf grass area Native or adapted plant area Points < 60% > 25% 1 < 40% > 50% 2 < 20% > 75% 3 < 5% > 75% 4

To achieve four points, the project must adhere to the thresholds specified in the provided table. The total softscape area is 57,500 ft².
1. Turf grass requirement: The area must be less than 5% of the total softscape. Calculation: 57,500 ft² × 0.05 = 2,875 ft². The turf grass area must be < 2,875 ft².
2. Native or adapted plant requirement: The area must be greater than 75% of the total softscape. Calculation: 57,500 ft² × 0.75 = 43,125 ft². The native/adapted plant area must be > 43,125 ft².
Option C, with 2,500 ft² of turf grass and 44,000 ft² of native/adapted landscape, is the only choice that satisfies both conditions (2,500 43,125).

A: The turf grass area of 12,600 ft² (21.9%) exceeds the 75% requirement. B: The turf grass area of 11,500 ft² (20%) exceeds the 75% requirement. D: The turf grass area of 4,500 ft² (7.8%) exceeds the <5% limit, even though the native plant area meets its requirement.

1. U.S. Green Building Council. (2016). LEED v4 for Homes Design and Construction. Washington, DC: USGBC. The principles are detailed in WE Credit: Outdoor Water Use, Option 2: Reduced Irrigation, which awards points based on limiting turf grass and maximizing native or adapted plants as a percentage of the total landscaped area (p. 111-112, Table 2). The question's table is a scenario based on this credit's methodology.