Heifer International - Wetlands

We're back to Heifer International in Little Rock - there was so much to write about! Besides rainwater use on-site, rainwater is also collected and treated through a variety of LID systems. One are the wetlands shown in the previous post. In practice, rainwater falls on the roof, which has been finished as something closer to a swimming pool than your typical roof.

Rainwater is channeled into downspouts, which have been designed as a functional architectural feature. The kids thought these would be great slides during the rain!

The downspouts become horizontal channels closer to the ground. Rainwater flows over the side of the channel, which function like a weir, into the stabilized forebay of a raingarden. You can see the channel as well as reeds in the raingarden to the right.

A surface drain at the end of the raingarden allows stormwater to flow into the wetlands at the site. The wetlands surround the main office building, giving it a castle and moat feeling. But most of all it's lovely, with ducks, turtles and fish enjoying this site, which was previously a contaminated industrial facility.

Below is a design schematic for the wetlands, similar to many, many we've seen in LID and stormwater guidance manuals. But not as often do we have the opportunity to see them in place, in practice. If you happen to be in Little Rock, look behind the Clinton Library for this green gem!

Lessons Learned - Heifer International

Greetings! Now that the grass is green and the rain has begun to fall, I'm feeling like a blogger again. Whew!

In March we traveled to Arkansas and visited Heifer International in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their 24-acre urban headquarters is a far cry from the village agriculture that characterizes Heifer projects. However, the sensitivity to environmental issues is a theme carried through in site planning and development. There are a number of features we'll highlight in the next few weeks. The first is the facility's use of water recycling and rainwater collection.

The building boasts an impressive recycled water and rainwtaer collection cistern that holds 25,000 gallons. This water is used in the building's heating and cooling systems as well as for other non-potable uses, such as toilets and irrigation. The tower is built in to the north wall of the building, adjacent to an elevator shaft, so that its profile doesn't seem out of place with the rest of the structure.

Another feature is the treatment wetland you see in the foreground of the above photo. But we'll talk more about that next time.