Flooding at Garden Learning Center, March 26, 2012
During the heavy rains last week we were told that the rainwater harvesting system pipes and gutters on the Court House building at the Garden Learning Center were backing up and the roof was leaking. County Maintenance did a quick cleaning of the gutters and opened the first flush valves during the rain event.
Ralph Davis and Brad Ackerman met with Paul Jones (County maintenance) the following day and discussed the problem.
Actions Taken:
- Tank # 1 is not filling – we discovered the feed lines were full of debris and plugged. We cleaned these using water pressure and plumbers wire.
- We made the system on tank #2 operational so we could use the hose to test the system and clean the pipes.
- The first flush plugs were removed and the gutters thoroughly cleaned with the hose.
- The first flush plugs were re-installed and the system filled with water. Tank #1 filled when the first flush lines were filled.
- Tank # 2 was full and no issue other than gutters really needed to be cleaned out.
- The opening in the gutters that connect to the downspouts were made larger.
Future actions:
- Add gutter cleaning and system test to spring and fall maintenance list.
- Monitor the system during the next rain even.
- Determine if a design change is required.