GROWING GARDENS PROJECT

Piloting Rainwater Collection and Efficient Irrigation Technologies for Home Gardens

Scope:	Helping Growing Gardens provide more value to their home gardeners by piloting rainwater collection and efficient irrigation systems - design, evaluation, implementation and training
Next Meeting:	Check the calendar for our next meeting
Where:	PAE Consulting Engineers 808 SW 3rd Ave, Suite 300 Portland, OR 97204
Status:	Site assessment and design
Contact:	Ginger Erwin-Thomas

 

Background

EWB Portland has initiated a local project in partnership with Portland-based GROWINGGARDENS!  The project will call on the experience and expertise of EWB volunteers to expand the range of services that Growing Gardens offers to their gardeners.

GROWINGGARDENS organizes hundreds of volunteers to build organic, raised bed vegetable gardens in backyards, front yards, side yards and even on balconies.  They support low income households for three years with seeds, plants, classes, mentors and more.  Their Youth Grow after school garden clubs grow the next generation of veggie eaters and growers!  Through Learn & Grow workshops and work parties, they teach gardeners all about growing, preparing and preserving healthful food while respecting the health of the environment.

EWB Involvement

In Summer 2008, Growing Gardens began receiving donated rain barrels from the Multnomah County Londer Learning Center and asked EWB Portland how these barrels could be used to add value to home garden plots.  The project that EWB developed from there focuses on design and installation of pilot rainwater collection and efficient irrigation systems at selected garden plots around Portland.  These systems will provide feedback to Growing Gardens about whether rainwater harvesting could be expanded to be a part of their regular program.

The Technologies

Rainwater harvesting most generally refers to capture of rainwater runoff for some sort of later use. It can provide multiple benefits.  First, it regards rainwater as a resource: a relatively clean, and free source of water.  Second, capture of runoff from roofs and/or disconnection of downspouts can help reduce stormwater runoff and reduce the frequency of combined sewer overflows (CSOs).  Rainwater harvesting is also a growing part of global efforts to combat water shortages around the world.  While it is not a new technology by any means (evidence exists of rainwater collections systems from early history), the technology is experiencing a renaissance as water becomes more scarce around the world.

But in Portland, where summers can be long and dry, conditions are not prime for rainwater harvesting.  Enter efficient irrigation methods.  By integrating rainwater harvesting with efficient drip irrigation, EWB Portland hopes to provide a system that makes use of rainwater in an efficient and user-friendly way, and also promotes the efficient use of City water when it is needed.

The Educational Component

The project will include an emphasis on education and program sustainability by focusing on documentation and keeping in mind that the simpler the solution, the more likely it is to be maintained.  We are also including selected local high school students from the Oregon MESA program in the design process.  MESA is considering integrating rainwater harvesting design projects into itcurriculum in inquiry-based learning.

Moving Forward

Future efforts will include a combination of simple design work, installation, training, and monitoring.  Project team members need only a willingness to learn about rainwater collection, irrigation and stormwater management and a desire to contribute to the project.  On February 21st, the team will make a site assessment visit to the Growing Gardens experimental garden and gather the information needed to develop a facility configuration.

Please contact Ginger Erwin-Thomas if you are interested in these opportunities or want to learn more.

Project Progress

August 2008 - Team formation, project scoping and preliminary design concepts

September 16th, 2008 - The team conducted field flow testing of various efficient irrigation technologies to test their utility when coupled with rain barrels.  Read more.

September 17th, 2008 - The formal project application was submitted to EWB-USA.  Approval is expected within 4-6 weeks.

November 4th, 2008 - Project approved

February 21st, 2009 - Site Assessment for System Configuration

Check the calendar for our next meeting.