Situated on First Nation (Musqueam) land (UBC Endowment land), the UBC Farm is partly supported and subsidized by UBC. Apart from growing local food, it strives to be a green space used for academic purposes by researching and teaching more sustainable methods of agriculture. The farm also focuses on developing a sense of community within the university area.

Each summer, the farm has to buy a lot of water from the city of Vancouver for irrigation purposes. If rain/storm water during the fall and winter can be collected and stored for the summer, the cost of summer irrigation will be greatly reduced and it will be a more sustainable alternative for the dry season.

This project’s goal is to investigate the water flow into the farm from Wesbrook Village and neighbouring construction. We will investigate the possible chemical contents of the water and decide whether it is suitable for the UBC Farm. The scope of the project will mainly be focused on consulting the Farm on what methods are available to collect, filter and store water. Economic, social and ecological feasibility of these methods will also be explored and considered to find out the best solution.

There are a few constraints related to our project. First, the weather directly affects the amount of water collected, and the amount of water the UBC farm will need to buy. The weather also consists of temperature which also effects evaporation rates which dictates the amount water available. Second, the construction and residential zones may affect the quality and flow of water. Third, the topography also cannot be changed. Fourth, since UBC Farm is a non-profit organization, budget is also a constraint. Everything else in negotiable. There are plans of building a new farm center, and there is a possibility that a water storage system be integrated into this new building.

To complete this project we will adopt the following strategies. First, we will contact appropriate people such as soil and hydraulic engineers, the University Neighbourhood Association, and people from Wesbrook Village to gain relevant information. Also, we will analyze topographic maps, and flow diagrams which will be provided by Veronik Campbell. Lastly, we will conduct a lot of research, then analyze data to recommend the best options.