Where has all the Water

Gone?
And How to Recapture it.
(On the Cheap)
 Some water history.
At the turn of last century, Savannah, Georgia’s squares were
not the lovely, lush parks they are today. In the early 1900’s,
the squares were sandy lots, the centers of which sported an
artesian well, sometimes bubbling and spurting six to eight feet into
the air, providing water for the old horse-drawn pumpers to fight
fires. Today, almost every lot in the United States’ largest Historic
Landmark District is built out. The roads and lanes are paved -
even the squares have as much as 50% impervious cover in
between the mature Live Oaks and masses of azaleas. In order to
dig a well in a square now, you might have to go 35 to 42 feet
down to hit water - an almost 50 foot drop in 100 years. This is
considerable for a coastal city.
 It’s Everywhere...
In little more than a decade Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma
and Colorado saw drops in their water tables as much as
100 feet. In the Central Valley of California, the water table
has dropped 70 feet within a similar time frame. Each of
these are high growth areas. Up to 30% of it may be
attributable to irrigation demands for corn as an energy crop.
Corn is a thirsty plant. Solutions are being developed to stem
the loss of crop runoff - no tillage planting, high-energy yield
crop choices with low water demand.

Urban run off continues to be the major source of water

pollution because current methodologies cost way too much.
 “Pretorious Paving”
Run off. NPDES Phase II admits what we do for it, is
not working. Low Impact Stormwater Design means
thinking Micro, instead of Macro. Thinking, “simpler.”
Iterating nature. Solving problems where they occur,
instead of relocating them in massive agglomerations
where pollutants like heat*, dioxins, carbon dioxide,
and the detritus of humanity poison our water while
we flush it away, instead of allowing it to filter naturally
into the ground - into the surface water recharge
areas which feed our springs, artesian wells, streams,
rivers, lakes and marshes. Where is it all going?
 Some Terms
Water doesn’t just disappear. It relocates to one of four
places: our atmosphere, through Evapotransporation (ET);
our Surface Water - ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, the gulf,
our oceans; our Surface Water Recharge Area, also referred
to as soil water, the source of our springs and wells which
serve to replenish our streams, rivers, and lakes - as does
the rain. Because of that - both Surface Water and the
Surface Water Recharge Areas are referred to as GREEN
water. Essentially it is all recycled; and fourth, our Ground
Water- pristine, like the Floridan Aquifer - It could take more
than 200 years for a rain drop to travel there.
 Gilman Paper Company, St. Mary’s, GA -
Employed up to 1100 workers, production capability 2.6
million pounds of paper per day.
 Water, water everywhere...

Gilman Paper Company was family owned for around 70

years in St. Mary’s (Camden County) Georgia. The family no
longer had an interest in running a pulp mill during an industry
downturn. In 1999, they sold it to Durango, who ran it for a few
years, filed bankruptcy, and closed the plant. Within two weeks
of the closure, artesian wells started springing up in folks’ yards,
driveways, and lots - because the water table recovered so
rapidly from the enormous daily pulp mill withdrawal - so much
so, that UGA Extension Agents were called upon to cap the wells
all over Camden County.
1 of the top 10 Ecological Wonders of the
World
 A Study in Connectivity
The Great Okefenokee Swamp covers 700 square
miles in Southeast Georgia and Florida. At the time of
the Gilman Paper Company closing, it - like much of
Georgia - was in the middle of a severe drought.
Within a few months of the closing, the water level in
the Okefenokee rose more than 6 inches, without
compensating rainfall in the drainage area which
feeds the swamp - according to a Fish and Wildlife
Official. This connectivity was a major reason
environmental groups did not want Dupont to mine
Titanium on the Swamp’s Eastern side.
The Land of Trembling Earth
A 2300 Year Habit
According to Roger D. Hansen, noted water system historian
from Utah State University, more than two centuries before
Christ, Etruscan Engineers designed and built Rome’s first
drainage and wastewater system - Cloaca Maxima.
This system of covered concrete drains was large enough in
some areas for a hay wagon to drive through it.
It collected waste and stormwater through holes in the
streets, with its final outfall into the Tiber River.
 2 years of Construction
$11,000,000.00 Flood Control only - Zero Water Quality
 Suppose instead of digging up the entire street, block after block,
we only dig 30” out from the curb and down 5’. We build a flush
mounted header curb on the asphalt side.
Since the lateral utility lines are involved, a significant amount of
this is hand work by someone trained to work around utilities. That
person - or persons - would also need to be proficient in operating
an air spade to protect the tree roots. Once that is completed, a
non woven fabric is used to line the trench. Recycled concrete
chunks from 6” to 10” in size fill in the first 4 feet. Then six inches
of #57 stone follow, capped by 3 inches of #89 stone. Interlocking
concrete pavers with half inch joints are installed, with #9 stone
used to fill the joints.

The 10% Solution

For Flood Control and Water Quality
 Iterating Nature
Allowing rain to return to the ground almost where it
falls
An average 450 foot block will store 15,000 gallons on one
side.

This water will exfiltrate into our Surface Water Recharge

Areas which feed our wells, streams, rivers, lakes and
marshes. Water we have been flushing away, while polluting
the bodies of water which carry it downstream.
While the trench is open, municipalities could request the
power company to install lines underground as well -
preventing future costly, overly aggressive tree trimming.

All this & 90% Savings

too!
Flood Control AND Water Quality.
Typical Urban Street
This one is in Covington Kentucky.
Stormwater Management
Recapturing rain for surface water recharge storage
Each side of one block could be a Micro Contract which
could be awarded to an underemployed person. A Master
Contract could be awarded to an Engineering Firm who
would be charged with the Utility Training, Air Spade,
OSHA, and provide oversite where necessary.
The advantages are numerous - being small, it allows a
municipality to “put a toe in the water” - to try it on for size.
To the adjoining residents or businesses - access is limited
for a month or two, while keeping the street open and half
of the parking available. Hydrocarbon eating bacteria will
grow in the matrix. The Calcium in the concrete will serve
to neutralize acidic Heavy Metals.

From Macro to Micro

The Paradigm Shifts
 Our urban trees need access to oxygen and water. They are
a critical component of an integrated stormwater
management plan. According to Dr. Kim Coder from UGA’s
Warnell School of Forestry, a 12 inch caliper Live Oak can
optimally uptake 1200 gallons of water a day (and a 2”
caliper Live Oak 6 to 8 gallons of water per day). This also
explains why, when DOT builds a new road, using current
stormwater management BMPs to compensate for the
addition of impermeable surface,
flooding generally increases, simply because there is no
formula to adequately compensate for the loss of mature
trees and corresponding rise in the water table.

Integrative Planning
Stormwater, Trees, Streets, Quality of Life
Lower Depth Profile
 Caveat

In 2008, EPA initiated procedures for the Post

Construction Monitoring Component of NPDES Phase 2.
This again is a great product, but inappropriate installation
- sand is a growing medium. The ICPI has an excellent
stormwater profile for interlocking concrete pavers - using
#9 stone in which to bed these pavers and #9 stone (1/4”
stone) to fill in the joints. This is one of the lowest
maintenance requirements of the myriad porous pavers on
the market. Leaves? No problem. Imagine...
SW & Traffic Calming.
 Thank you for your Time!
Your questions/comments are welcomed.

Contact: Chere Peterson

President - Petrus UTR, Inc.

President Elect - Georgia Soil & Water Conservation

Society

Phone: 912 233-1500 - Savannah

Cells: 404 964-8700 or 843 817-3300

E-mail: pervious@bellsouth.net