In response to ever rising water costs, a desire to conserve water and the recognition of the energy consumed pumping and treating water from Lake Michigan, the Park District has evaluated and selected a number of sites for the installation of “Cisterns”.  These water reservoirs, located at Longfellow and Field Parks and at the Oak Park Conservatory and the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center allow the District to capture water from splash pads and water features to use for irrigation. The cistern at the AGEEC is used for flushing the facility’s restroom toilets.

Five cisterns have been installed in Park District locations to repurpose water. The water collected in three of the cisterns is used for irrigation and the other is used for toilet flushing. These water-repurposing systems save approximately 1,250,000 gallons of water and $84,000 per year! Cisterns are located at Field Park, Long-fellow Park, Oak Park Conservatory and the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center.

Learn more about our rainwater cisterns here.