Community Engineering Corps (CECorps) is an organization that brings underserved communities and volunteer engineers together to advance local infrastructure solutions in the United States. In November 2019, they selected the Partnership’s proposal to conduct a feasibility study to determine the technical and logistical requirements for irrigating a large garden space on the back field of Hollin Meadows (HM) Elementary School’s campus. The Partnership requested this study as part of an ongoing effort to examine the possibility of turning one acre of the field into a community garden or farm that could produce fruits and vegetables for the HM cafeteria, as well as the cafeterias of other local elementary schools. The Northern Virginia Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) conducted the study on behalf of CECorps and focused on the following:
Evaluating irrigation requirements and alternatives for water sources
Identifying regulatory requirements for construction related to a potential community garden/farm
Assessing stormwater considerations
Providing preliminary costs and logistical considerations for installation and operation
Identifying irrigation components and other infrastructure required
EWB’s final report, available to read here, provides irrigation recommendations based on the study’s findings. Should the Partnership and HM decide to proceed with the farm, the report will be used to assist with project development.
