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Water Stewardship Blog

Our Live Roof Vendor

More information about rain gardens

Occasional classes on rain garden construction and native plants given by the UW Arboretum

Water Stewardship

Indoors and out, we protect water quality and use water efficiently. Lour low water-use plumbing fixtures can save use 35% more less water than conventional fixtures. Appropriate native and other plants that can grow well without a lot of water will eliminate irrigation needs after they are established. The green roof and rain gardens will filter water percolating through them to trap pollutants that could otherwise harm our lakes. We will keep most of our rain water runoff on FUS property, allowing as much of it as possible to soak into the soil and replenish our underground water reserves.

How it works:

Reduced Rain water runoff:

  1. The new roof is angled to drain to the center of the property.
  2. The sedum on the green roof can absorb up to 99% of a 1" inch rainfall. Any excess rain will be filtered through the media and delayed until after peak flows. This water will drain onto the terrace, from which it will percolate through the stones and fabric underneath into pipes that convey it to an underground retention system that allows it to percolate through the 250 feet of sand beneath our site into the water table.
  3. Water in the north half of the parking lot can infiltrate into the ground through the two permeable strips running in an east/west direction.
  4. Water on the parking lot south of the permeable strips drains to the storm sewer at the southeast corner of the lot.
  5. The surface drains in the parking lot and by the turnaround as well as the downspouts and rain chains at the east end of the building drain to the east rain garden.
  6. The surface drains in the two courtyards and the downspouts from the C classroom wing drain to the west rain garden.
  7. Rain water runoff is decreased 33% from the two year, 24-hour design storm through the above means.

Improved efficiency in water use:

Inside the building, water use is reduced through the use of dual flush toilets (0.8 gallons for liquid waste, 1.6 gallons for solid waste; uses 30% less water overall than single flush toilet using 1.6 gallons per /flush), waterless urinals (saves 1-3 gallons per use), and 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm) faucets in bathrooms, 2.5 gpm faucets in the kitchen, janitor closet, and showers (vs. 4-5 gpm for conventional faucets). Altogether, these low water-use fixtures have a 35% water savings over conventional fixtures.

Outside the building, plant selection was based on types that would not require a permanent irrigation system.

Benefits to society and the Earth:

  1. Increased water infiltration and water table recharge helps assure a supply of good water available for all residents of the community.
  2. Keeping runoff on our property eliminates or decreases flooding of downhill properties.
  3. Flushing fewer gallons of potable water down the drain; worldwide 20% of increasingly scarce drinking water in the world is flushed down the drain.
  4. Rain gardens help trap pollutants that might be in the runoff.

Benefits to the building occupants:

  1. Green roof, rain gardens, and other landscaping are beautiful.
  2. Native plants in rain gardens attract birds and butterflies.
  3. Lower utility bills.

Relation to UU principles:

Direct relation to 7th UU principle of respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Freshwater links all living things together.