Parking in a Pool
The Importance of Proper Drainage
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When
we sprint to our cars after class during a rainstorm, we might be a little
irked by the amount of water that we're splashing up as we run. These little
puddles of water can be a real nuisance, but do you ever wonder how much water
could actually be standing in your way if proper drainage was lacking? I
discovered the amount of water that lands on a college parking lot in a recent
lab, and the number may surprise you.
The
test site was the Willett Science Center Parking lot of Mercer University (seen in the picture to the left, and outlined on the Google Earth image to the right). It's
a pretty large parking lot-- I paced it at being 242 x 231 ft-- located in
front of the science building, and behind the University Center and business
school, so you can assume it sees a lot of foot and auto traffic. Calculating
the volume (lxwxh) of water which would land on this parking lot during a 2
inch rainstorm, I found the number to be nearly 70,000 gallons. Seventy
thousand gallons is enough to fill 7 standard sized swimming pools! Luckily the
engineers have made our lives a little easier and designed the parking lot in a
way to allow all of that water to be drained out. This drainage protects us
from hydroplaning ours cars when trying to make a quick getaway, slipping as we
scurry to the building, and keeps us from having to bring floaties on a cloudy
day.
Mother of a Movement
A Brief Look at the Late Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was a courageous fighter for our
planet. She did not fight with a clenched fist or with shouts in protests and
rallies. She fought injustices armed only with a pen and paper. Writing was her lifelong passion, and shortly after
graduating with an MA in zoology, Carson began her career as an environmental
writer. She wrote scripts for radio shows, articles for the paper, various
pamphlets for the government, and even several books. All of her publications
were centered around the conservation of natural resources and the role people played
with their environment. Her most famous book, Silent Spring, was an expose on
the government's use of pesticides. The work not only opened people's eyes to
the government's abuse of pesticides and other harsh chemicals, but is also
credited to launching the modern environmental movement. Rachel dedicated her
life to inspiring others to protect the beautiful Earth on which we live, a
beauty she witnessed from a young age while exploring the streams of rural Pennsylvania,
a beauty which is still being threatened today.
sources:
.jpg)
When
we sprint to our cars after class during a rainstorm, we might be a little
irked by the amount of water that we're splashing up as we run. These little
puddles of water can be a real nuisance, but do you ever wonder how much water
could actually be standing in your way if proper drainage was lacking? I
discovered the amount of water that lands on a college parking lot in a recent
lab, and the number may surprise you.
The
test site was the Willett Science Center Parking lot of Mercer University (seen in the picture to the left, and outlined on the Google Earth image to the right). It's
a pretty large parking lot-- I paced it at being 242 x 231 ft-- located in
front of the science building, and behind the University Center and business
school, so you can assume it sees a lot of foot and auto traffic. Calculating
the volume (lxwxh) of water which would land on this parking lot during a 2
inch rainstorm, I found the number to be nearly 70,000 gallons. Seventy
thousand gallons is enough to fill 7 standard sized swimming pools! Luckily the
engineers have made our lives a little easier and designed the parking lot in a
way to allow all of that water to be drained out. This drainage protects us
from hydroplaning ours cars when trying to make a quick getaway, slipping as we
scurry to the building, and keeps us from having to bring floaties on a cloudy
day. 
