As I looked out the window this morning and saw another ominous cloudy day, I thought to myself: good! We need the rain, and I need it maybe more than others.
Hi everyone! My name is Marc Girard. I am a masters of environmental management candidate at the University of New Brunswick and I am currently using the One Tree Orchard project as the recipient for a prototype framework to manage stormwater differently in Atlantic Canada. Rain is a pre-requisite for most life on land, it is a blessing and a resource that is prayed for in many parts of the world, but in Canada, it is often considered just a pain in the … And so, we typically manage rain with the objective to get it out of site, pronto. You may have seen your living area surrounded with drains and associated underground concrete tunnel complexes. Water that falls on our land is transported via these networks to the nearest water body or treatment plant (out of site, out of mind, out of our world).
The way in which we would like to change this system is by eliminating the need for concrete tunnels and manage stormwater with what Nature is giving us. Sure she might need a few tweaks for encouragement here and there, but essentially she should do. Typical examples include: substituting conventional roofs with vegetated roofs, modifying land grading to give water more time to infiltrate, lining the roads with depressions of natural vegetation that infiltrate and filter what pollutants are being washed off from them, etc. In the end, we want to mimic the pre-development flow of water to: prevent pollution of the aquifer and surface water bodies, prevent flooding or accelerated erosion, and allow water to recharge the aquifer at a natural rate.
There are a few major components to this project. First, techniques that are available to this property need to be compiled. Then those that are likely candidates to fulfill our vision need to be extracted and compiled. Following that exercise, a digital model of the property needs to be created. Then, like clay, it needs to be molded so that it mimics the different design layouts. This involves adding, removing, moving and shaping the different techniques around. Every time a new model is crafted, a series of simulations will be run to see how to the land reacts under different conditions. Among them a standard storm event, the spring freshet, or rain over a period of a year. When a given system appears to accomplish our goals, it is introduced with my [sweeeet] marker and cataloged. Finally, the results are compiled in an advisory format. This coming week my primary objective is to create the digital model of the property.
I am having a lot of fun, and I love water related issues, so if anyone wants to learn more about this process, talk about water issues, or just tell me something I don’t know, I am all ears. Until next time, have a lovely day!
-Marc
