Spring 2024 - South side of Speech and Hearing Sciences
Facilities Management has an almost 20-year history of working with students on water harvesting projects around campus. The Spring 2024 semester Water Harvesting class (ENVS 454/554) designed and installed a new project south of the Speech and Hearing Sciences building.
The rainwater source for the project is about 2,400 square feet of roof space drained via a downspout that dumps out near the building, too far away from the landscape vegetation to benefit any of the plants.
A network of swales and basins was constructed to carry the water to the planted area, with rock retention dams to slow the water and allow ponding for infiltration at several locations near trees and shrubs. A side benefit of the project was reducing infiltration near the building’s foundation, which can cause moisture infiltration into the building.
Our Mason Shop equipment operators roughed out the network of swales and basins constrained by utility markings placed by Blue Stake Shop personnel. The students, led by instructor Grant McCormick, sculpted the basins and swales using the excavated soil to construct elevated berms for planting. They then installed the rock retention dams and other accent rockwork on the site. Grounds Shop staff reconfigured irrigation to support new and existing plants on the site.
Students and community volunteers under the direction of Elise Gornish, Cooperative Extension specialist in ecological restoration in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, and local restoration consultant Carrianne Funicelli, planted several donated yucca plants supplied by the U of A Arboretum.
Grounds and Labor shop staff then spread new rock mulch across the site to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
Original Conditions Image
| The Concept Image
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Initial Excavation Image
| Forming Basins and Berms Image
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Additional Plantings Image
| Gravel Installation Image
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Finished Project Image
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