The world is running out of potable water. Our planet is faced with unprecedented changes that are drastically affecting our potable water supplies while inundating the surface of the earth with severe runoff, flooding, and damage from storm events.
We will examine the three stormwater cycle diagrams that describe the water cycle. The first diagram illustrates the least impacted natural cycle of rainfall and recharge. The second diagram shows the acceleration and changes to the water cycle from typical human occupation and the built environment. The final diagram examines the middle diagram with the impacts of greater stormwater episodes, occurring with greater frequency, and disastrous results.
The discussion will then proceed into small and large aquifers and the impacts of the altered water cycle on our available potable water supplies. The Oglala aquifer is going dry and the implications of that event will be discussed through different lenses. First the GNP and food “security” will be noted, followed by the reality of climate refugees in America, and some hints of what that portends. Then we will note some small aquifer implications I face in my practice in Wisconsin. The lack of information will also be a topic to cover briefly.
General discussion about the opportunities for water harvesting and reuse on any given project will provide opportunities for later discussion.
The model for any concept is flawed. You, as designer and operator of the modeling system must always ask what assumptions were made in producing the model of choice.
Learning objectives:
1. Our aquifers are the source of potable water, and these are all in a challenged state by the effects of a changing climate.
2. This issue is not political.
3. The practical solution to water insecurity includes harvesting and improving stormwater quality to accommodate alternate uses.
4. We have climate refugees in America now. This issue is not going away.
5. Our profession is at a critical point for making a significant improvement in our prospects for survival on this planet.
6. Question the assumptions of any modeling system.
Shawn T. Kelly, PLA, FASLA | Having been described as "a landscape architect's landscape architect", Shawn shares his passion for his profession on many levels. Along with his practice, he teaches at the University of Wisconsin. Shawn is founder and Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Design at UW-Madison and founder of The Center for Sustainable Education for Wisconsin ASLA (WIASLA). For over 30 years, Shawn has served his profession as an active member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). At the national level, he has served on the Ethics Committee, Council of Educators, Nominating Committee, and Audit Committee. He was WIASLA President and served two terms as Trustee. In 2012, Shawn was honored to be elected ASLA Vice President. In 2015 he was awarded the ASLA National Advocacy Leadership Award. In 2017, he was elected ASLA President. In 2009, after being nominated by his professional peers, Shawn was invested as Fellow of the ASLA.
Introducing What’s Out There Olmsted A New Digital Guide
Tuesday was the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., widely acknowledged as the father of landscape architecture and most famous as the co-designer (with Calvert Vaux) of New York City’s Central Park. To honor this milestone, The Cultural Landscape Foundation has created What's Out There Olmsted, a richly illustrated digital guide to more than 300 North American landscapes designed by Olmsted, Sr. and his successor firms, which includes parks and park systems, scenic reservations, residential neighborhoods, cemeteries, and governmental, cultural, and academic campuses and more. The What's Out There Olmsted guide also uncovers the fascinating stories of nearly 100 people who worked with, for, and after Olmsted to create these memorable landscapes.
