The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) soon
will be able to water its green space and turn its fountains back on after a
water ban that went into effect October 2007. While water restrictions still
are in place, the 200-acre campus no longer will be as much of a strain on the
local water supply. Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the GWCCA, which
includes the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic
Park, has bored two 660-foot deep wells. One is located at the northeast corner
of the Park, and the other is underneath International Plaza, which is in front
of the GWCC’s Building B entrance. Water from the wells will be used for
watering lawns and plants as well as operating ornamental water features.
Since the City of Atlanta’s Level Four water ban was
implemented, the facilities have had to invest more than $100,000 in repairing,
resealing and re-caulking water features that have dried out and cracked, and
have lost $500,000 worth of plant life on the campus.
“As an economic generator to the state, we welcome millions
of visitors to the Park and GWCCA campus each year,” says Mark Banta, general
manager of the 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park. “The wear and tear of foot
traffic requires water to rejuvenate the plant life. Water from these wells
will enable us to keep our 200-acre campus green.”
The Park project, which ties the well to the water garden
storage and irrigation system, will cost $142,712. Testing confirms that it
will produce 12.5 gallons of water per minute once construction is complete.
Consequently, the investment will be recouped in just 7 years. The GWCC project
is estimated to cost $292,000, but can produce 54 gallons per minute, meaning
that it only will take 3 years to recover the investment. Special piping in
International Plaza that connects to cisterns below the plaza also will allow
for water-harvesting. The return on investment should be significant over time.
“We are extremely pleased with the projected output of the
two wells on our campus," says Mark Zimmerman, general manager of the
Georgia World Congress Center. "With local water limitations, we are happy
that we’ll no longer have to put a strain on the state’s water supply and that,
at the same time, we’ll be able to maintain much needed green space in our
downtown area. The wells tie in perfectly with our continual goals to be good
stewards of our facilities and to take responsibility for the huge impact we
can have on the environment."
The
well at Centennial Olympic Park should be fully operational in 9 weeks to 10
weeks, and the Georgia World Congress Center project will be complete in late
August or early September.
