FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention herein resides in the art of methodologies and devices for storm water management. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and its method of use to protect transitional, redeveloping, or vacant property from storm water damage. Specifically, the invention relates to a movable meadow and method of implementation allowing for the temporary deployment of site-specific plants and associated planting media in modular containers capable of covering a specific site to receive, retain and utilize storm water and storm water runoff to prevent damage that would otherwise occur to the site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Recently, cities and property owners have been held accountable to meet increasing levels of storm water management compliance. It is not at all uncommon for property owners to be faced with a choice of either installing costly permanent storm water infrastructures, or to pay fees, generally in the form of a penalty, for noncompliance. Presently employed permanent storm water infrastructures include sub-grade drain pipes at one end of the spectrum, and cisterns, rain gardens, bio- swales, and green roofs at the other end of the spectrum. All are costly and substantially permanent. Because of the costs, transitional, redeveloping, or vacant properties cannot afford compliance and are therefore required to pay a fee. The problem has become exacerbated by the proliferation of current environmental restrictions of urban land parcels. By way of example, in one known locale, a 21 -acre site having 15 acres of impervious ground would require an annual fee of $35,000 incident to storm water runoff.

[0003] There is a need in the art for a device and its method of implementation that can resolve issues of storm water runoff in a cost-effective manner, without adverse impact to the surrounding ecology. Moreover, there is a need in the art for temporary solutions for storm water runoff that are simplistic in installation, require small capital investment, have limited permanent infrastructure, are adaptable to specific sites and geographic regions, and meet federal, state, and local storm water regulations.

[0004] The need described above is most acute for owners of commercial/industrial property with large amounts of unused and substantially impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and building roofs. The interest also extends to real estate brokers, land managers, lending institutions, and individual land owners as well as landscape construction companies and nurseries.

[0005] The need in the art for environmentally friendly and cost-effective methods and apparatus for managing storm water runoff is prominent. There is, indeed, a need in the art for a method and apparatus that not only protects a specific site from storm water runoff damage, but also protects neighboring sites as well, and provides protection for both during transitional use periods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In light of the foregoing, it is a first aspect of the invention to provide a movable meadow and method of implementation capable of helping property owners meet regulatory storm water compliance, and particularly in instances of transitional and redeveloping properties.

[0007] Another aspect of the invention is the provision of a movable meadow and method of implementation, which achieves substantially zero storm water runoff, being carbon negative, accommodating easy deployment, promoting ecological services such as biological diversity, pollination, carbon dioxide absorption, food generation, and aesthetics, while also providing a means for creating public space.

[0008] Still a further aspect of the invention is the provision of a movable meadow and method of implementation that is easy to install with state-of-the-art equipment and techniques.

[0009] Yet another aspect of the invention is the provision of a movable meadow and method of implementation that requires minimal capital investment and permanent infrastructure.

[0010] Still an additional aspect of the invention is the provision of a movable meadow and method of implementation that is substantially modularized and can be designed and implemented to accommodate regionally specific storm events. [0011] Another aspect of the invention is the provision of a movable meadow and method of implementation adaptable for use by a wide range of persons and concerns, allowing for optimization of the utility of otherwise water-impervious surface areas such as parking lots, roofs, and hardened vacant fields.

[0012] Still another aspect of the invention is the provision of a movable meadow and method of implementation that is environmentally friendly, cost effective, and easy to implement across a broad spectrum of land types.

[0013] The foregoing and other aspects of the invention that will become apparent as the detailed description proceeds are achieved by a movable meadow for controlling storm water runoff, comprising a base having a storm water reservoir therein; a container mounted atop said base; a planting media received within and maintained by said container; capillary strips extending between said storm water reservoir and said planting media; and wherein said base has longitudinal recesses therein configured to receive and accommodate tines of a forklift.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] For a complete understanding of the various aspects and techniques of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

[0015] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a movable meadow made in accordance with the invention, and showing the same with planting media and plants in place;

[0016] Fig. 2 is an assembly diagram of the movable meadow of Fig. 1; and

[0017] Fig. 3 is an illustration of the transportability of the movable meadows of Figs. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Referring now to the drawings and more particularly Fig. 1, it can be seen that a movable meadow structure made in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the numeral 10. The movable meadow 10 employs a base or storm water reservoir 12, receiving thereon a container 14. Extending across the tops of the container 14 are top lateral supports 16 to provide a walking surface. A planting media 18, such as soil, peat, various aggregates, and the like are formed in a block-type configuration and received by the container 14, as will be apparent below. The planting media 18 is adapted to receive appropriate plants 20, the plants 20 and the planting media 18 being complementary to each other.

[0019] Longitudinal recesses 22 extend the length of the base 12, as do longitudinal recesses 24 with regard to the container 14. The pairs of recesses 22 and 24 accommodate receipt of the tines of a forklift truck or the like for ease of transport. When the tines are received by the longitudinal recesses 22, the entire assembly 10 may be transported. When the tines are received by the longitudinal recesses 24, the container 14 and associated planting media 18, plants 20, and top lateral supports 16 may be transported separately from the base or storm water reservoir 12.

[0020] As is apparent from the assembly diagram of Fig. 2, the base or storm water reservoir 12 has a reservoir cavity or recess 26 formed therein and adapted to receive and maintain storm water, runoff, and the like. The reservoir 26 may be of any appropriate depth, dependent upon the amount of storm water or runoff anticipated for a particular region.

[0021] As further shown in Fig. 2, capillary strips 28, capable of receiving and wicking water as by capillary action are received in spaced-apart relation by the reservoir 26 and are supported by the bottom thereof. The capillary strips 28 are of a material for transporting water by capillary action from the reservoir 26 to the planting media 18, which, as shown in Fig. 2, is of a preformed, block-and-tube nature. As illustrated, the block 18 of planting media has feet 18a, 18b adapted to rest upon the tops 24a and 24b of the longitudinal recesses 24 of the container 14. Accordingly, and as shown, the capillary strips 28 are received between and alongside the tops 24a and 24b of the longitudinal recesses 24 and also between and alongside the feet 18a, 18b of the planting media block 18.

[0022] It will thus be appreciated that as the capillary strips 28 are received within the water of the reservoir 26, they wick the water therefrom upwardly and into the planting media of the block 18 and particularly into the feet 18a, 18b.

[0023] Replenishing of water into the reservoir 26 occurs during rainfall, when the rain passes beyond the plants 20, through the planting media 18, into the capillary strips 28, and into the reservoir 26. This, of course, occurs when the media 18 is saturated with water. [0024] The reservoir 26 may also be replenished should the water level rise high enough on a surface to pass into the forklift recesses 24 of the container 14. Preferably, the recesses 24 are perforated such that water runoff passing thereinto can drip down into the reservoir 26.

[0025] It will be appreciated that the movable meadow structure 10 is of substantially uniform structure such that an array of the structures 10 may be assembled together to cover a particular area of interest, such as a parking lot, compacted earth region, roof, or the like. It is contemplated that the structures 10 may be provided with mating elements such that a temporary interlocking can be achieved. It is particularly contemplated that a forklift 30, as shown in Fig. 3, may be employed to transport the movable meadow structures 10 from their assembly region to their on-site region. In this regard, fork tines 32 may be passed into the recesses 22 such that the entire assembly may be transported as desired. In that regard, an elevator lift 34 is provided in standard fashion with the forklift itself being wheeled as at 36. It is contemplated that transport may be made either of the entire assembly through the forklift recesses 22 or only the upper portion of the assembly as through the recesses 24, depending upon whether a total structure or partial structure is contemplated for transport and to what degree the final assembly is to be made in situ.

[0026] An exemplary embodiment has been developed in laboratory experiments. In a specific embodiment, movable pods have been designed with a fixed length and width of 4 feet and an overall depth of 18 inches. The top section or container 14 has been designed to be filled with an engineered soil and planted with plants from a complementary list. The total depth of the container 14 is 12 inches, having a total volume of 15.9 cubic feet. The engineered soil in the container 14 has been designed to have a preferable soil porosity of 0.41. When filled to capacity, the container 14 is able to retain on the order of 50.2 gallons of water. The lower reservoir 26 of the base 12 has the same length and width dimensions as the top container 14, but with a depth of 6 inches. This reservoir is an open space that allows for a total volume of water, when filled, of 60.8 gallons. Accordingly, the combined total water retention capacity of one movable meadow structure 10 is on the order of approximately 111 gallons. [0027] Thus it can be seen that the various aspects of the invention have been satisfied by the structure presented above. While in accordance with the patent statutes only the best mode and preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented and described in detail, the invention is not limited thereto or thereby. Rather, the invention will be that as described in the accompanying patent claims