Water Collection Spaces
Water Collection
The water of Washington Park is very important to the community. The park's lagoon offers a place to play, to visit, and to do a number of recreational activities; however, this is by far not the only important water resource that exists in Washington Park. One of the most important sources of water in this neighborhood, or any neighborhood, is the rainfall. Not only does rain fill up the lagoon, but it helps the grass grow and fuels the production of vegetables, making it a valuable asset to the community.
Through initial studies, rainfall tends to go unnoticed because it is not a continuously visible aspect of the neighborhood like the lagoon is, but when it is there it allows great things to take place. A one-inch rainfall onto a 40' by 70' surface produces 1,743 gallons of water; the average amount of water need to grow a tomato is around three gallons a week. With that in mind, it seems logical that collection of rainwater would be used to help maintain Washington Park's gardens. The main option for capturing all of this water would likely be from rooftop units, and the gardens would be located in available lots near the houses. The average square footage of a residential roof in Washington Park is 1,578 square feet, which allows for 982 gallons of water to be collected per one inch of rainfall. Given the average rainfall in Milwaukee is 12.25 inches from June to August, the typical growing season for tomatoes, one roof alone could capture more than 12,000 gallons of water annually. With the tomato's growing period of ten weeks, around 400 tomatoes could be grown with the water from one roof in one summer. Of course, this number would vary greatly depending on the quality of soil and the amount of sunlight available, but just the possibility of 400 tomatoes is great. |
Learning Topics
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