Closing the Loop: An Innovative Waste Management Plan for Springwater: Fall 2009
group project | Graduate Level Planning Course | Robert Young | 10 weeks
The local government of Gresham, OR wanted to re-evaluate planning practices and charged the University of Oregon with providing a wide-range of suggestions and solutions as a part of the Sustainable Cities Initiative. As a part of the ‘Green Cities’ course, our group tackled waste management systems for the new development of Springwater – a future mixed-use commercial, retail, and residential component of the city of Gresham.
Our scheme dealt with closing the loop; that is, creating a self-sustaining system that would be productive for its residents while not endangering the environment unlike traditional waste treatment systems. Typically, these systems treat waste in a centralized facility to a tertiary level and then emit the remaining effluent into the watershed. We sought to treat as much wastewater in a decentralized, diffuse system where most of the waste could be treated on-site.
comprehensive diagram
Broadly speaking, industrial and residential wastes would be treated through biological wastewater treatment, more popularly known as ‘living machines‘. Following its filtering process, effluent enters a system of constructed wetlands until it is safe for re-introduction into the watershed. Solid wastes can enter a biomass/biogas system where the extracted methane can provide power to Springwater, or can be composted for food. The eco-industry park uses a system of on-site reuse and biodegradability to further minimize waste. Ultimately, waste here is a mechanism to create food, power, and opportunity.
linear residential node
wastewater vs. solid organic waste
industrial node
biological wastewater treatment process
anaerobic digestion system
proposed waste process
consolidated process
proposed eco-industry park loops
consolidated eco-industry park loops
Download the report here: Closing the Loop
Andrew Cusack, Jessie Scott, Nicholas Joelli, Phillip Bozarth-Dreher, Taylor Bailey, Ed Clark, Hannah Wendel, and Vivek Sarma
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