Water conservation is becoming a very worrisome topic in the United States – and for good reason. Currently, the EPA estimates the water deficit at about 3,700 billion gallons per year. This means we are consuming more clean water than nature can pump back into our environment.

To combat this trend, our nation needs to become creative in finding a way to balance the water deficit. Landscape irrigation is a great place to start.

North Main Village in Milwaukie, Oregon is a great example of innovative water conservation design. The project consists of a main courtyard rain garden and adjacent green street. These features collect and filter water that is channeled from the roofs and parking lot areas, so the amount of water going to the stormwater treatment facility is reduced or eliminated.

What about irrigation? Well, native and adaptive plants are grown in the courtyard and green street, so the irrigation is reduced to drip lines in some areas within the courtyard. These drip lines supply minimal amounts of water during the dry season.

Landscape Architecture holds a large influential position within our country for the design of public exterior spaces like parks, urban plazas, greenways, and golf courses. As professionals and stewards of the land, they are educating clients on the importance of water conservation and how these methods can be applied to their projects.

Bryan Bailey, LEED® AP
Project Manager
Macdonald Environmental Planning, PC

mountain-view1

mountain-view2_0

mountain-view3_0

mt-view2

mt-view3

mt-view

Mountain View Hospital undertook a new addition and remodel of the existing building and acute care unit in Madras, Oregon.  Our approach was to update the appearance of the grounds to reflect the Central Oregon landscape in a sustainable way.  Our careful selection of native, cold and drought tolerant plants, local broken top stone  and river rock helped to mimic the surrounding landscape.  Rooftop runoff was dropped into a naturalized creek bed which flowed into dry wells.

brookings1

brookings1_0

brookings2_0

brookings3

brookings4

brookings5

Our goal for this medical center project was to retain as much of the existing, native vegetation on site as possible and to incorporate a majority of native plants into the new landscaping. Site features included a “stormwater feature”, which will replicate a natural stream bed with multiple water falls; a healing garden located adjacent to the main lobby, which will serve as a viewing garden and outdoor gathering space; and an outdoor patio space for staff. The project is currently pursuing LEED Silver.

oleson-woods1

oleson-woods2

A restored wetland and grove of existing trees form the natural outdoor education classroom for children in the Oleson Woods community.  Sustainable elements included the re-vegetation of the existing oak forest wetland and the treatment of stormwater overflow in a retension pond.  Native plantings were selected to supplement and strengthen the natural setting.

north_main1

north_main2

north_main3

North Main village is a nationally acclaimed mixed-use project with condominiums, apartments and retail, designed to encourage sustainable urban growth and quality of life.  In this spirit, we celebrated stormwater treatment through an rainwater sculpture and community plaza and a green stormwater runoff demonstration street.  The City of Milwaukie also engaged our services to develop the first few blocks of the City Streetscape.  This included the sidewalk design, selection of furnishings and street trees.