Rain Water Harvesting System Design Project

Rain" rel="nofollow">in water harvestin" rel="nofollow">ing has been used throughout history as a water conservation measure, particularly in" rel="nofollow">in regions where other water resources are scarce or difficult to access. Accordin" rel="nofollow">ing to the U.S. EPA, from the last half of the 20th century, the U.S. has enjoyed nearly universal access to abundant supplies of potable water. But as witnessed by the recent serious and sustain" rel="nofollow">ined droughts in" rel="nofollow">in the Southeast and Southwest, this past luxury is not somethin" rel="nofollow">ing that can be expected for the long term. Future population growth will exert more demand on water systems while climate change is predicted to decrease. These challenges will require a more sustain" rel="nofollow">inable approach to usin" rel="nofollow">ing water resources, lookin" rel="nofollow">ing at not only how much water is used, but also the quality of water needed for each use. The overwhelmin" rel="nofollow">ing majority of the water used in" rel="nofollow">in the U.S. comes from freshwater supplies of surface and groundwater. Water extracted for public systems is treated to potable standards. Rain" rel="nofollow">inwater harvestin" rel="nofollow">ing (RWH) in" rel="nofollow">in its essence is the collection, conveyance and storage of rain" rel="nofollow">inwater, is a technique that has been used for many years. It has not been widely employed in" rel="nofollow">in in" rel="nofollow">industrialized societies that rely primarily on centralized water distribution systems, but with limited water resources and stormwater pollution recognized as serious problems and the emergence of green buildin" rel="nofollow">ing, the role that rain" rel="nofollow">inwater harvestin" rel="nofollow">ing can play for water supply is bein" rel="nofollow">ing reassessed. Rain" rel="nofollow">inwater collected from roofs is not “recycled water”, nor is it “gray water”. It is fresh water that is in" rel="nofollow">in abundant supply, and is generally undervalued in" rel="nofollow">in the United States. Rain" rel="nofollow">inwater harvestin" rel="nofollow">ing has significant potential to provide environmental and economic benefits by reducin" rel="nofollow">ing stormwater runoff and conservin" rel="nofollow">ing potable water, though several barriers exist that limit its application. Accordin" rel="nofollow">ing to the U.S. EPA, the U.S. uses more water per capita than any other country, with potable water delivered for the majority of domestic and commercial applications. Installin" rel="nofollow">ing a rain" rel="nofollow">inwater collection system requires divertin" rel="nofollow">ing roof downspouts to cisterns or rain" rel="nofollow">in barrels to capture and store the runoff. Potential uses in" rel="nofollow">include in" rel="nofollow">indoor non-potable applications (toilet flushin" rel="nofollow">ing, coolin" rel="nofollow">ing tower make-up) and outdoor non-potable applications (irrigation systems, hose bibs, etc). Select a commercial or residential or in" rel="nofollow">institutional buildin" rel="nofollow">ing near where you live for this assignment. I would like you to design a Rain" rel="nofollow">in Water Harvestin" rel="nofollow">ing system for the buildin" rel="nofollow">ing where you can make some reasonable assumptions concernin" rel="nofollow">ing land use and average daily water use. Design your system based on the Georgia Rain" rel="nofollow">inwater Harvestin" rel="nofollow">ing Guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines Manual: http://www.dca.state.ga.us/development/constructioncodes/programs/downloads/GeorgiaRain" rel="nofollow">inWaterH arvestin" rel="nofollow">ingGuidelin" rel="nofollow">ines_2009.pdf