UA LID / Surface Water Projects

The Paradigm - Water is a Problem, not a Resource

A shift…. Student led rain water harvesting project – AME Building, UA Campus

Potable Water - river - aquifer - reservoir Reclaimed Water Distribution Treatment Plants Environmental discharges Treatment Engineered Water Systems Land Use Land cover changes (paved surfaces, etc.) Transportation, utility, etc. systems + Sanitary Sewer Storm Sewer Removal Septic

Rural to Urban Continuum Characteristics of the Urban Landscape Natural environments / incremental design Plantable areas predominate Predominately absorbent surfaces Limited impervious surfaces Low density of pedestrian traffic Space for single uses Natural Flooding Characteristics of the Rural Landscape Frequently a designed environment Narrow planters Prevalent impervious surfaces Limited Absorbent Surfaces High pedestrian traffic Multi-use open spaces are imperative Urban Flooding

Single-Purpose Facilities designed for the Worst-Case Scenario Worst-Case Scenario Drives the Design Accommodating common, desired occurrences (made difficult by singular focus on worst-case scenarios

COLLABORATION Students, staff, and professors using the campus grounds as a demonstration, teaching, and research site to mutually support diverse goals.

UA Surface Water Working Group SWWG Charge October 22, 2004 To insure that surface water on the UA campus is managed in a safe, efficient, comprehensive, and environmentally sound way. Surface water includes but is not limited to stormwater drainage, water harvesting, and other surface water discharges.

Context Sensitive Water Harvesting Regional-Climate Context Public-Private Context Professional- DIY Context Urban-Rural Context

CONTEXT Public – Private Continuum Professional – DIY Continuum Who designs, builds, maintains and uses it? Characteristics of the Public and Professional Context - Consultant Team design process - Complexity: a diverse array of regulatory layers and stakeholders - Budgeting / timeline factors - Expectations of “landscape performance”

Urban Context

Integrating Stormwater and RWH Practices Breaking down the magnitude and timing of rain events to allow infiltration Rain Water Harvesting Stormwater Management 600,000 gallons 180 gallons

Integrating Stormwater and RWH Practices Smaller volumes / units are more manageable as a resource Stormwater Management Rain Water Harvesting and Stormwater Integrated =

Highland Parking Garage Multi- purpose Basin / Open Space and Water Harvesting Micro-basins Helen Street Highland Ave. Looking West after a monsoon

Highland Parking Garage Multi-purpose Basin / Open Space and Water Harvesting Micro-basins 1 2 Rain collects in landscaped low end of basin – allows lawn to dry sooner. Area includes large french drain Rain bubbles onto lawn, percolating and watering lawn as it runs toward low point on the west. 3 1 Rain captured on roof directed to drains 2 Roof runoff directed via pipe to bubbler in lawn (red dot) 5 Overflow pipe for depths greater than 2’-3’ Flows East North West 3 = Water harvesting micro-basin.

Prerequisite to creating 100 bathtub sized catchments – create many smaller outlets

Common Water Harvesting Approach (water placed in “teacups” at base of plants) Preferable Water Harvesting Approach – terraced landform designed to spread water throughout soil based on needs of mature landscape, and consistent with plant health BMPs. More compatible with multi-use landscapes. Spillway / terrace edge - can be soil, stone, etc. and may serve multiple functions such as path. Conventional Grading Approach (water sheds to streets) Storm conveyance system (streets) Water Flow Site watershed – building, sidewalk, parking, etc. Evolution of Passive Water Harvesting

UA Visitor Center Landscape Renovation

Lynch Pavilion Water Harvesting Terraces University Blvd. Campbell Ave.

Lynch Pavilion Water Harvesting Terraces Water collects from roofs and plaza into drain pipes 2Water bubbles up (red dots) into landscape terrace 3Water cascades between terraces through weirs, eventually spilling to lawn Design Intent [SF, volume] Status: Experimenting with bubblers to get water to surface. An existing outlet pipe to a storm sewer at the bottom of the bubblers prevents water from reaching the surface. East West North University Boulevard South Urban Response – Surface Structures

Permeable surface…. Impermeable sub-surface? Urban Response – Surface and Subsurface Structures

Structural Soil Urban Response – Surface and Subsurface Structures

Bear Down Field Tank 3. 3 Acre Feet

Sixth Street Residence Halls (currently under construction) Rain water from roof directed into landscape basins Water ponding in basins balanced/metered via connected inlets/outlets Overflow for large events Detention bleed-off from Bear Down tank into infiltration chambers Infiltration chambers overflow into perforated pipes buried beneath landscape Overflow from infiltration tanks, if system becomes fully charged in large events, into basin Final overflow to street

Student Rec Addition

Speedway Boulevard Mountain Ave. CALA Expansion Water Garden Urban Response – Surface and Subsurface Structures - Tanks

Watershed – CALA building addition roof runoff & AC condensate directed to cistern Cistern (blue circle) integrated into 3-story building. Overflows via scupper into pond. Water is used to irrigate landscape using pump. Pond – fed by cistern, surface collection. Re-circulates through scupper Flows Architecture Building Water Garden Urban Response – Surface and Subsurface Structures - Tanks

UA Campus Current and Future Potential Directions