Theory and Analysis of Puddles

The following is a study of site-specific bodies of water, and an attempted construction of their livlihoods and causes. Dimensions are provided where available and may differ with climate changes.

4322 N Overlook Boulevard

This unique puddle is caused by the seam between two different types of street pavement, concrete and asphalt. The asphalt sits higher than the concrete, and water flows toward the concrete corner, which is sloped upward, creating a still depression for water to gather in. The amount of moss growing on the curb indicates that this is a year-round moist spot, with the capacity to sustain select forms of plant life.

Parking Lot N Williams and N Skidmore

Located on the property of the First A.M.E. Zion Church, this large puddle measures 1’11” deep, 20 feet across, and 33’1” long. The surface of the asphalt under the puddle slopes down toward a non-functioning drain. The property may utilize a nonfunctioning sump pump instead of being connected to the city sewers.

3811 N Mississippi

This puddle covers a Portland City Water Meter medallion. The lines drawn in the pavement around it emphasize the depth the metal and concrete medallion has sunk. Water gathers in the depression on wet days only, leaving the spot dry the rest of the year. The blue streak spray-painted on the medallion and sidewalk serves as an indicator for city employees who at some point needed to mark the direction of the pipes underground. A bus ticket rests in the spot, and the grooves of the medallion are filled with dirt, as there are no outlets aside from evaporation.

Park bordering the Martin Luther King Jr., Neighborhood Facility and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, NE 6th and Humbolt

Swing sets require a soft, unpaved ground safe for children to fall on. Woodchips and mulch are utilized here to ensure proper drainage as well as safety, but in this case the covering has been pushed away by swinging feet and water has filled the gaps. According to playground patrons, new woodchips are brought in to even the ground on a regular basis, about every eight months, at which time the puddles presumably disappear. The popularity of these two particular swings means that the solid ground below the safety covering has sustained a permanant groove, making it easier for the depressions to form even after fresh covering is applied. The puddle on your right measures 1.35" deep, 42.5" across, and 23" long, and the one your left measures 1" deep, 48" across, and 39.6" long.

1737 N Skidmore

This is a typical driveway puddle, caused by the unrepaired gap between the street asphalt and the concrete driveway curb. It has a multi-colored newspaper flier floating on top. The stillness of the water and the quiet of the day keep the paper from sinking, but a variety of dark brown plant matter is visible on the ground underneath. From this angle, you can also see decaying leaves in the street and on the driveway on either side of the puddle. The size of the puddle and the amount of decaying matter in it and nearby are good indications that this puddle is usually present.

Intersection NE 10th and Going

This is a spot where water has gathered because of the irregularity in the pavement. Most likely the error occurred while a pre-existing pothole was being patched. The asphalt patching was not given enough time to settle, and dried in its current warped state. The water collected here is not necessarily interconnected, as the banks of the individual pools are high enough to keep the water divided. Todd Johnson has compared the shape of this puddle to that of a yin and yang.

4916-4926 NE 10th

This long curb puddle continues the length of a new complex of connected housing. The customary high slope in the center of the street encourages water to run towards the storm drains on the curb. On this side of the block, the trees along the curb have created a greater slope by raising the pavement with their roots, and the sidewalk has been relaid without compensating for the greater depth of the gutter. Cars have parked over the collected water, and a black plastic bag as well as decaying plant matter and bits of trash have sunk in the puddle.

Center of the Street, NE 13th and Thompson

This puddle was found for me by Michael Russell (thank you). It is located between a series of cracks on concrete street pavement. Concrete pavement is textured with rocks and pebbles of assorted sizes, which in this case form the borders of an irregular deep hole. The wide crack filled with puddle is very deep, and reveals several layers of broken concrete pavement. The water which runs along the length of the street’s cracks to the gutters and sewers during rain remains here in the slightly raised center of the street, and as this puddle can sustain plant life it is likely wet most of the year.

Northwestern Bank of Elk Rock Island, Milwaukie

Here is a classic natural puddle, caused by marshy saturated land. Contrary to urban puddles, which support life in a concrete and asphalt landscapes, plants grow here despite the puddle which drowns them in the wet seasons.

Unthank Park Basketball Court

This puddle joins the saturated earth and grass with the smooth court, creating a marsh that melds with the pavement. Court puddles are common, usually caused by the court pavement adjusting to the irregular surface of the ground below, and may be exacerbated by the constant presence of water.

Elk Rock Island Land Bridge, Milwaukie

Tiny pebbles line the bottom of this even, round hole. The surface of the rock around the edges of the hole is wet, indicating that the puddle has a set capacity to hold water and often overflows. The hole is manmade, and was designed to hold a now absent pole and sign.

Corner of N Interstate and Multnomah

This puddle covers a sunken area of asphalt, which reveals the inconsistent surface of the ground below. It is filled with pebbles and bits of rock, which have been pushed in by the constant traffic at this busy intersection. The surface of the water is oily, a further sign of nearby industry. A fresh green grass grows from the center, and plant life as likely been developing in this puddle for some time, as its great depth provides for moisture most of the year.