19th August 2008
Water source being installed as part of HOPE program photo & story: Erin Hatfield Aug 6/08 courtesy of "insideTORONTO.com"
Getting a 1,550-gallon (7052.5 litre) water storage tank wasn't the easiest task for the staff of Parkdale's Greenest City, but the tank has arrived and now the organization is preparing to set it up and then celebrate.
The large green tank, now sitting behind the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre at 220 Cowan Ave, is a critical element in a new rainwater harvesting system that is being set up in the HOPE Community Garden. A downspout from the roof will direct rainwater down a pipe and into the tank. There is a gravity feed into the garden and a little hand pump at the other end, which green thumbs will use to water their gardens.
"It's that simple," said Alison McCabe, a project manager with Greenest City. "But (it) has been really complicated up to this point."
Greenest City is a Parkdale-based environmental not-for-profit organization that started the HOPE garden. McCabe explained there were a lot of issues getting a tank to Parkdale.
"Getting a tank from somewhere in the States to Canada is really complicated because of all the border issues, customs and duty," she said. "Trying to find somewhere in Canada that has one that is the right colour is difficult."
There are lots of white tanks in Canada, but McCabe said they aren't the best for water because of concerns of algae growth.
"The black tanks available in Ontario are so expensive, they are around $2,000," McCabe said. "So this one was shipped from B.C. They are very progressive in B.C."
Greenest City was given $3,000 to set up the system from a program called WaterWorks, sponsored by the American magazine, Organic Gardening.
The magazine joined forces with the American Community Gardening Association, Aveeno Skin-care Products and Nature's Path Foods to bring rainwater harvesting systems to 15 community gardens. Greenest City is one of four gardens in Canada awarded the grant. Field to Table Community Garden in Toronto also received a grant.
"Any garden in the States would be able to find a tank no problem," she said. "You can get them for like $400. But in Canada, especially Ontario, it is really hard."
The difficulty they encountered reflects the mentality of Ontarians that there isn't a shortage of water around the Great Lakes.
"But it's about shifting from being something you do in a water-scarce area to being a good water conservation technique," McCabe.
Harvesting rainwater is a particularly good idea in Toronto, McCabe said, evidenced by the recent sewer overflows because of the heavy rains.
"A lot of the volume in those overflows is coming from the rainwater," she said. "If we can divert some of the volume it makes a lot of sense."
Instead of spending billions of dollars in infrastructure, McCabe said the rainwater should be collected and used.
Before the system is up and running, a four-foot platform needs to be built for the tank to sit on. It will be an environmentally friendly construction made of tamped earth and recycled tires.
"We got a great company based in Roncesvalles called Greening Homes, who are going to make a tamped earth platform using old tires, cement and clay," McCabe said.
Greenest City is planning a rainwater harvesting festival to celebrate the arrival of the new system on Sept. 28 at the HOPE Community Garden.
Last year, Vancouver's Strathcona Community Gardens also received one of the WaterWorks tanks. See the YouTube Video
"A Cistern for Strathcona Gardens" (external link)
Getting a 1,550-gallon (7052.5 litre) water storage tank wasn't the easiest task for the staff of Parkdale's Greenest City, but the tank has arrived and now the organization is preparing to set it up and then celebrate.
The large green tank, now sitting behind the Masaryk-Cowan Community Centre at 220 Cowan Ave, is a critical element in a new rainwater harvesting system that is being set up in the HOPE Community Garden. A downspout from the roof will direct rainwater down a pipe and into the tank. There is a gravity feed into the garden and a little hand pump at the other end, which green thumbs will use to water their gardens.
"It's that simple," said Alison McCabe, a project manager with Greenest City. "But (it) has been really complicated up to this point."
Greenest City is a Parkdale-based environmental not-for-profit organization that started the HOPE garden. McCabe explained there were a lot of issues getting a tank to Parkdale.
"Getting a tank from somewhere in the States to Canada is really complicated because of all the border issues, customs and duty," she said. "Trying to find somewhere in Canada that has one that is the right colour is difficult."
There are lots of white tanks in Canada, but McCabe said they aren't the best for water because of concerns of algae growth.
"The black tanks available in Ontario are so expensive, they are around $2,000," McCabe said. "So this one was shipped from B.C. They are very progressive in B.C."
Greenest City was given $3,000 to set up the system from a program called WaterWorks, sponsored by the American magazine, Organic Gardening.
The magazine joined forces with the American Community Gardening Association, Aveeno Skin-care Products and Nature's Path Foods to bring rainwater harvesting systems to 15 community gardens. Greenest City is one of four gardens in Canada awarded the grant. Field to Table Community Garden in Toronto also received a grant.
"Any garden in the States would be able to find a tank no problem," she said. "You can get them for like $400. But in Canada, especially Ontario, it is really hard."
The difficulty they encountered reflects the mentality of Ontarians that there isn't a shortage of water around the Great Lakes.
"But it's about shifting from being something you do in a water-scarce area to being a good water conservation technique," McCabe.
Harvesting rainwater is a particularly good idea in Toronto, McCabe said, evidenced by the recent sewer overflows because of the heavy rains.
"A lot of the volume in those overflows is coming from the rainwater," she said. "If we can divert some of the volume it makes a lot of sense."
Instead of spending billions of dollars in infrastructure, McCabe said the rainwater should be collected and used.
Before the system is up and running, a four-foot platform needs to be built for the tank to sit on. It will be an environmentally friendly construction made of tamped earth and recycled tires.
"We got a great company based in Roncesvalles called Greening Homes, who are going to make a tamped earth platform using old tires, cement and clay," McCabe said.
Greenest City is planning a rainwater harvesting festival to celebrate the arrival of the new system on Sept. 28 at the HOPE Community Garden.
Last year, Vancouver's Strathcona Community Gardens also received one of the WaterWorks tanks. See the YouTube Video
"A Cistern for Strathcona Gardens" (external link)