I visited a great exhibit called the Urban Watershed, which just opened up in Fort Worth. It is run by Dr. Adrian Parr, former University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) professor, who put together the exhibit with some of the students who attend UTA. This exhibit was previously on display in Europe, and is currently on display here until August 2022 at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History before it will be on display in other North Texas cities. I visited this exhibit a couple weeks ago, and it presented lots of interesting ideas, including the idea benefiting residents by creating practical green space. It also presented current and future projects that create a perfect mix of practical water supply and human enjoyment.
The exhibit showed a project that had turned a run-down reservoir into a clean park, so it could supply water and be a peaceful place for its residents to enjoy. Another panel showed the deliberate planning of the City of Lewisville, Texas. It showed an area that was set aside to be a park 70 years ago (shown in the blue outline below), and how even through development and urbanism, the park area was preserved and then developed into a green space for residents to enjoy.
Image: City of Lewisville developing around an area set aside to be a public park
Image: zoning map of Southwest area of Lewisville. The green shading represents developed green space areas/parks.
The Urban Watershed exhibit presented an idea about a hybrid rain panel, which is a type of roof that combines pervious and impervious surfaces to reduce roof runoff and capture water into a rainwater tank. This invention makes it possible for residents to capture rainwater themselves using a low maintenance system. The panels can be installed on existing roofs. These panels are still a new idea, so they are pretty expensive. Scientists will continue to improve the panels with one of their goals being to make them more affordable. These panels could help residents capture lots of water, which could possibly give some residents their own independent water supply. They would lower water bills and lower biogas emissions (biogas is highly toxic, flammable, and potentially explosive).
Image: the several layers that go into the hybrid rain panel.
Urban Watershed also presented an idea about creating a new park called Harold Simmons Park. After the Trinity River’s course river level changed due to storms and natural disasters previous to development of Harold Simmons Park, the water levels have been relatively inconsistent. The park will replenish the Trinity River as needed by helping to control flooding into the river. This flooding would help create a more consistent water level of the Trinity, which would improve wildlife health and create a more consistent water supply. This would help Dallas because Dallas gets some of its water from the river. Runoff of the Trinity River also helps supply Houston, so the park would help Houston maintain a consistent water supply as well.
These new and innovative ideas would be good for other cities to implement because there are so many benefits to the city and its residents, including helping the city continue to be planful about managing its water supply while beautifying the city for its residents.
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