Determinación de la capacidad de retención de aguas lluvias por medio del uso de cubiertas vegetadas aplicadas para la ciudad de Cuenca - Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction. The growth of urban populations leads to the expansion and transformation of cities causing irreversible changes to the environment. A growth provoked by the industries demanding a consumption of 40% of atmospheric emissions. By consequence, events of rain get to cause problems because of the waterproofing among urban areas. In Cuenca city, the housing growth has an average of 680.70m2 / month, where 231,30m2 / month are approved and correspond only to the ground floor level, surface that will waterproof the vegetal layer and whose tendency to waterproof green areas by 2030 will be 136.52ha. (Objective) The objective of this job is quantifying the amount of rainwater retained in the substrate and find an alternative to lighten the overall weight of the substrate in a saturated state; Captured by a vegetation cover (test plots simulating green roofs). (Methodology) The applied methodology has an experimental nature with which an analysis of the information collected is determined, as well as the construction of 4 test plots from which 1 will be used as a witness and 3 will use only Pennisetum clandestinum (Kikuyo) as vegetal layer which will be planted on an ideal substrate using among its components 3 lightening materials; They will be exposed to the outdoor and will be used to collect data of runoff and rainwater retention. (Results) As a result, it was determined that a substrate mixed with pumice and 20 cm high, in dry state, reaches a weight equal to 120.60 kg / m2 and in wet state up to 142.91 kg / m2 and retaining up to 17.74% for runoff values of 23.04mm.