Rainwater Collection

Every drop of water on site is put to good use at the Center! By limiting the amount of rainwater that leaves our site we help Milwaukee’s overextended sewer system cope during storms.

The beautiful rainwater retention pond you see in front of the building is part of an elaborate rainwater collection system. The rain that falls on our south facing roof is collected in 350 gallon cisterns in our garage for use in our toilets. Any overflow from these cisterns or from our green roof on the garage is first collected in rain barrels located around the building then sent to the pond via an underground pipe.

Look for the fish, turtles, and other creatures that inhabit our pond. Our pond has a people powered fountain! Use the stair master looking pump at the west end of the pond and watch how high it goes!

The rain that falls on our north facing roof is sent to our rain garden on the back side of the building. A rain garden is an attractive landscaping feature planted with perennial native plants, designed to absorb storm water run-off from impervious surfaces. It contains a path made of Ecocrete, a porous concrete substance that encourages water flow.

Even our driveway directs the rain towards the native plants that line our front walk and away from the storm drains in the street.