Spring Break
North Campus fountains to flow again
MIMI ENSLEY
Issue date: 4/10/09 Section: News
|
The University plans to use air conditioner condensation to help one fountain on North Campus start flowing again, said Dexter Adams, director of grounds for the Physical Plant. The fountain - located in the Owens Memorial Plaza near Old College - has been dry since summer 2007 when the University began saving water under the state's drought restrictions.
But on May 1, students will once again hear rushing water on North Campus.
"First of all, President Adams wanted to see if we could get [the fountains] going again just for graduation," Dexter Adams said. Adams said the Physical Plant's engineers deemed the Owens fountain "good to go" and able to flow continually.
"I think it's worth the energy and water involved for a location where hundreds of people will be able to enjoy [the fountain]," Adams said.
But the gushing fountains and recent rain don't mean water restrictions are more lenient, said Pam Knox, Georgia's assistant state climatologist.
"Across most of Georgia, with the exception of the Northeast, the drought is now gone," Knox said. "But that does not mean that water restrictions have been changed."
The state Environmental Protection Division requires four months of above normal precipitation before governments can relax restrictions, Knox said.
The Physical Plant can operate the fountains because they are not using restricted water, Adams said. The fountain initially will be filled with water from a well on campus. When water from the fountain evaporates, the air conditioner condensation from a nearby building will act as a supplement, Adams said.
"We're recycling water," Adams said. "We're not using restricted or [drinkable] water."
Though the exact price tag for the project is still unknown, Adams estimated it would take around $2,500 to install the plumbing equipment that condensation collection will require. The plumbing for the Owens fountain is already underway.
The Herty Field fountain will be ready for graduation, but maintenance is complicated because of its size, Adams said. The Herty Field fountain requires 9,000 gallons of water - 7,000 gallons more than the Owens fountain. The Physical Plant will use well water to keep the Herty fountain flowing, and the Physical Plant will try to maintain Herty's water supply, Adams said.
"The fountain [on Herty Field] will be supplemented from the water truck, but we know that is not anything we can use long term. It's not a sustainable solution," he said.
The fountains near the president's office and Sanford Hall will still remain dry, Adams said.
Be the first to comment on this story