Lab #1

       At Mercer University, there is a parking lot behind the Willet Science Center that prevents water from absorbing into the ground when it rains.  The parking lot drains off the water from the rain to another area.  I calculated the number of gallons of water that would be collected on this surface during a hypothetical 0.5 inch rainstorm.  I measured the length and Width of the lot by using Google Earth, then calculated the volume (in gallons of water) that would have been collected.  The total was 16,307 gallons. By comparing that to the average swimming pool of 10,000 gallons, it is easy to see what a great amount of rain water that is.  During a rain storm, this water would be drained into another area of Macon, which could have an impact on that particular area and its surroundings.  The picture below shows a Google Earth map of the parking lot and the data.