GOALS
· To harvest 100 percent of the water that falls on the land.
· To store a majority of the roof runoff in tanks for domestic use.
· To turn the soil back into a sponge to absorb and hold the moisture throughout the dry season.
· To create an oasis in the arid land of Ojai
Proposed Water Flow Description:Water that falls on the roof will first fill up cisterns. After they reach capacity, overflow pipes will lead them to the highest point of the landscape – at which a pond will be located. Once the pond fills up, the spillway will overflow to a series of basins that will allow the water to slow down and absorb just where we want it – where we put in plants. After that it will fill up a second pond – with its inlet planted to reeds for filtering out sediment – and head to a final catch basin. If this ever overflows, then it will head to the street.
This design was created by Devin Slaven of Ojai, and the owners are documenting their progress as they make their landscape "water wise" and "ocean friendly."
The Surfrider Ocean Friendly Gardens website has more examples...
