Water - Spirit

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Natural water cycle (Helen)

Water cycle.jpg

Absorption rate of clay (Helen)

The absorption rate of clay seems to vary a little depending on the source.

Infiltration rate of

We could perform a water absorption test to determine what type of soil we currently have. The following procedure is from the University of Wisconsin – Madison Arboretum site

Procedure: Perform the following infiltration test at each location selected.

  1. Dig a hole 6 inches deep by 6 inches in diameter.
  2. Fill hole with water and let stand for one hour.
  3. Refill hole with water. Measure depth of water with a ruler.
  4. Let stand 1 hour. Then measure the depth again.
  5. Use the following chart to determine soil types based on the rate at which water soaks into the soils.

Soil type: Rate

  • Sand: 1.5 inches/hour or 4 hours total
  • Silt :1/2 inch/hour or 12 hours total
  • Clay 1/3 inch/hour or 18 hours total

Rain Water harvesting (Don)

Rainwater-harvesting.jpg


Harvested Water Usage (Tom)

mm inches
Jan 44.7 1.76
Feb 44.2 1.74
Mar 64.8 2.55
Apr 74.9 2.95
May 74.2 2.92
June 91.7 3.61
July 80.8 3.18
Aug 87.1 3.43
Sept 73.4 2.89
Oct 53.3 2.10
Nov 67.8 2.67
Dec 71.6 2.82
inches
Jan 1.91
Feb 1.88
Mar 2.52
Apr 3.05
May 3.05
June 3.55
July 3.16
Aug 3.10
Sept 3.27
Oct 2.23
Nov 2.66
Dec 2.51
Dryest Amt Year Wettest Amt Year
Jan .023 1961 5.02 1932
Feb 0.04 1877 6.41 1881
Mar 0.38 1910 5.63 1913
Apr 0.53 1899 6.89 1947
May 0.43 1920 8.46 2004
June 0.55 1895 8.31 1892
July 0.5 1930 8.76 1878
Aug 0.16 1894 8.33 1926
Sept 0.39 1877 7.52 1986
Oct 0.13 2005 7.8 1954
Nov. 0.19 1904 5.68 1982
Dec 0.42 1900 5.19 1967


Dryest Amt Year Wettest Amt Year
Spring 3.32 1958 16.31 1947
Summer 3.58 1911 16.96 1896
Fall 2.78 1908 13.74 1881
Winter 2.36 1962-63 12.74 1949-50
  • Garden Beds Water Needs
    • Assumptions:
      • Native plants in the wild don't need to be watered. Then they can survive on on average of 3" a month in Michigan May - Sept.
      • Front Bed and front of Annex: because of the extreme heat island in the front of the buildings those areas will need 4" of rain per month.
      • If we can store the equivalent of one weeks need: 1" for the front and parking area and .75" for the alley and .5" backyard (obtained either from rain or gray water), we should have sufficient water.
    • Water Needs by Garden Area:
      • Front Bed: Area: 254 sq ft, Gals needed(1"): 159, Rain Barrels (55 gal): 3
      • Parking Lot: Area: 892 sq ft, Gals needed(1"): 555, Rain Barrels (55 gal): 10
      • Alley: Area: 744 sq ft, Gals needed(.75"): 349, Rain Barrels (55 gal): 6
      • Backyard: Area: 721 sq ft, Gals needed(.5"): 225, Rain Barrels (55 gal): 4


  • Wash cars/bikes (homeless could do people's cars)
    • Use a wagon or hose to distribute water


Grey water system

Soilb.jpg
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