Article by: Rudy Anderson
The Simon’s Green Acre community garden, sponsored by the S.G. Atkins Community Development Corporation (CDC), had an extraordinary first-year growing season. Now a cistern has been added and will make the garden’s irrigation plan economically feasible and sustainable.
The cistern, a 1550-gallon rainwater collection system, was installed in January just behind The Enterprise Center (former Boys & Girls Club) at 1922 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, in close proximity to the garden. The cistern collects rainwater from the roof of the Enterprise Center. According to Mike Stroud of Rain Pro, Inc., a High Point company, that installed the cistern, using rainwater cuts costs.
“If you are on city water, you are paying for water and sewer; not to mention you’re using treated water on your plants and produce. Fresh rainwater is better. Remember, what you get from the sky is free,” Stroud jokingly remarked. The savings, he said, though is no joke.
Stroud said the polyurethane cistern collects about 600 gallons of water per 1,000 square-feet of roof. The Enterprise Center has more than 3,000 square-feet of roof.
Collecting the water is one thing. Getting it to the garden is another. To aid in that process, the cistern comes with a submersible pump inside the tank to maintain the water pressure to the hoses that will be connected to provide irrigation to the garden.
The cistern was a purchased utilizing grant funds from the N.C. Community Conservation Assistance Program and matching gift from the United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, one of the garden’s many community partners helping to make the garden a sustainable reality.
For more information about Simon’s Green Acre email halls@wssu.edu or call 336-750-3148.
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