Fresno State Overcomes Challenges of Over-Watering in Student Peace Garden and Softball Berms
Challenges
The Student Peace Garden is a 1.2 acre area designed for students to experience a garden setting through the north facing glass of the new Library Project. It was designed with multiple berms intended to provide environments for students to sit or gather, but often required overwatering to keep the top of the berms green, with a corresponding puddling effect at the bottom due to gravity flow.
The Softball Berm area was created when bleachers were removed to create a grassy, but raised area for students to view games. These berms created over-watering challenges similar to the Peace Garden.
Solution
Utilizing Aqua Cents® water-absorbing capabilities to promote healthy growth on the top of the Berms, minimize the “gravity effect” at the bottom, and prevent overwatering so that students could fully utilize the berms for seating and meeting areas without getting wet.
Results
The University is experiencing a 40% + reduction in water required to maintain healthy turf.
Key Benefits
Prevent over-watering at the base of berms
Prevent under-watering at the top of berms
Creation of an environment for student interaction and relaxation
Postitioned to achieve 35%-50% water savings for a sustained life of 5-7 years
“The University has partnered with Aqua Cents Water Management to trial its injections of organic hydrogels in certain areas of turf that require a lot of water. It’s really a matter of teaching our lawns to drink differently, said Boyd. We had a real problem keeping the mounds in our Peace Garden green on top. The only way in the past was to over-water the top. This new process has allowed us to reduce the applied water and still keep the mounds green.
-Bob Boyd Associate VP Facilities Management Fresno State – April 2014
I really became a “believer” during a 1 week period in the heat of Fresno’s summer (2014) when our irrigations sytems were completely out-of-use. The Peace Garden turf was unaffected and maintained a healthy aesthetic appearance, while other areas of campus were significantly stressed.”
Joe Contreras
Irrigation Manager, Fresno State
November 2014