Loleta Elementary rainwater: Difference between revisions

Abstract

This page explores the planning and installation of a 4,800 gallon rainwater catchment system at Loleta Elementary School in Loleta, California. The background, problem statement, and project evaluation criteria all serve to define the problem-- the need for more water for irrigation, and how the problem will be addressed-- installing a 4,800 gallon rainwater catchment system. The literature review explores important considerations that must be taken into account when installing rainwater catchment systems, such as material components, local climate, and local governance and planning regulations. The page provides information about the prototyping, construction, operation, and maintenance of the system, including a step-by-step overview of installation. Lastly, there is a discussion of lessons learned and potential next steps in improving and expanding the system.

Background

Loleta Elementary School grows food for its students in a garden that is cared for by onsite staff. The school plans to also add a small fruit orchard in the near future. When the fall season arrives, the school offers the community a pumpkin patch, effectively generating an additional source of revenue. Both of these agricultural activities require continued irrigation. Rather than having irrigation water provided by the municipality, Loleta Elementary School wishes to install a rainwater catchment system to support their irrigation needs and reduce costs.

Problem statement

Previous to installing this system, one of Loleta Elementary School's biggest expense was water, especially for their garden and pumpkin patch during summer months. The objective of this project is to install a rainwater catchment system that will reduce the cost of irrigating the garden and pumpkin patch, and also act as an educational tool for the school and the community.

Project Evaluation Criteria

The following Criteria will be used to assess the success of this project. These criteria were chosen by the team and staff members from Loleta Elementary. The scale (1-10) represents the importance level of meeting the constraint of each listed criteria.

Literature Review

This is a review of the available literature pertinent to our project.

Local Climate

The average precipitation of Loleta ranges between 40 in. to 50 in. annually. ^[1] On average, Loleta experiences rainfall events of more than 0.1 inches approximately 89.1 days out of the year. On the contrary, Loleta experiences 177 days that are predominately sunny. ^[2]

Material Components:

Conveyance

Carries water from roof catchment area to storage tank (in the case of a “built” system), or directly to the ground area where the water will be used (in the case of “natural” systems) . Conveyance components include, generally, gutters and downspouts. The most common and affordable Gutters/downspout materials are made of: bamboo, galvanized sheet metal, or PVC (either intact or cut in half). (Grafman, 16, 2017). Material appropriateness varies based on the type of system, availability, affordability, and aesthetic considerations. It’s also important to consider the Social, economic, and environmental aspects of the circumstances under which the system is being installed. ( Gould, 1999)

Storage

Storage tanks vary in size and material composition, and choice of storage tank depends upon catchment potential of roof surface, and the specific use of the water. Types of storage containers for built systems include: Plastic storage tanks, Commercial rainwater tanks, 55-gallon drums, Ferrocement tanks (made of cement or lime mixed with sand, applied over metal mesh), and intermediate bulk containers (Grafman, 16-18, 2017). Determining Daily maximum precipitation is a key factor in determining what types of materials to use and what size tank to install, to be sure that the system doesn’t become damaged or overloaded. (Yi Li et al, 2018). ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Roofing Materials

Rainwater catchment surfaces can include thatch, tile, corrugated metal, asphalt, concrete, standing seam metal. Catchment efficiency depends on roofing material, with corrugated metal and standing seam metal being the most efficient (approx. 95% efficiency) and thatch and tile being the least efficient. Water safety also varies based upon roofing material, with asphalt and thatch being lowest safety and tile and standing seam metal being highest. The safety of corrugated metal varies based on coating. (Grafman 8, 2017). Copper roofs are not suitable for rainwater collection. Likewise, galvanized steel, which contains zinc, is not suited for rainwater collection. (Kinkade-Levario, 2007)

Local Governance & Planning

Loleta is not an incorporated city, therefore all development is regulated by Humboldt County Planning and Building Department. Developing water storage structures requires permits from local agencies depending on the size and scale. Water storage structures that exceed 5,000 gallons require a permit from the Humbodlt County Building Inspection Division.^[6] Fees and payments associated with the required permit varies depending on the storage size, number of referral agencies, and total number of permits. ^[7]

Building Permits

Water storage structures that exceed 5,000 gallons require a permit from the Humbodlt County Building Inspection Division. Building Permits may take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to get approved.^[6]

Conditional Use Permits

If the water storage structure exceeds 50,000 gallons, then a Conditional Use Permit from the Humboldt County Planning Division can be acquired. A Conditional Use Permit may take approximately 4 to 6 months to get approved.^[6]

Water Filtration

Different components will remove debris and initial pollution from the rainwater. Having a screen in place will separate debris from the water and having a first flush system will remove the dirtiest water from going to the storage tank (Grafman, 2017). By removing more containments before the water gets to the storage tank, the easier it will be to maintain and clean the tank^[8] (Allen Novak, 2014). If the end use will be drinking water, however, more filtration will be needed.

Filtration Type 1- Chlorine:

Chlorine can be used to kill a wide range of disease causing organisms in water. It is commonly used but can be hazardous at certain levels and even at safe levels, leave a taste in the water (Grafman, 2017).

Filtration Type 2 – Slow-sand filters

A layer of biological material, Schmutzdeck, on top of layers of sand and gravel. This method takes longer to filter water but is a good option for projects with smaller budgets and can be used for drinking (Grafman, 2017).

Design and Prototype

We prototyped our system minimally, here is an example of the physical prototype we made:

• In order to size our downspouts, first flush, and calculate catchment volume needed, we referred to Lonny Grafman's book ''To Catch The Rain , which provides in-depth instruction on the process of designing a rainwater catchment system
• Although we attempted to use the rules provided in To Catch the Rain for all of our sizings, some exceptions were made due to the existing infrastructure of the site:
• we used 2-inch pipe rather than 3-inch pipe because pipe size is calculated based on maximum rainfall events, which are rare in the area of Humboldt County, CA. Additionally, the existing gutter was too narrow to accommodate the installation of a 3-inch pipe, so we chose to use smaller pipe rather than replacing the gutter itself.
• We learned that more thorough prototyping and testing before installation would have made the installation process easier and the final product immediately more effective
• We had to revisit the site several times to be sure that the system was functional and to change errors that we made in our original installation

Construction

Instructions

Timeline

A tentative timeline for our project. We will do each task on the date listed below or have completed the task by the date listed.

Costs

All of our materials (except the plastic ball used for our first flush) were donated from Pierson's home center In Eureka, CA and Bandera Water Tanks in Fortuna, CA.

Operation

Here are step-by-step instrcuctions of how to operate this system.

Maintenance

Rainwater catchment systems require regular maintenance for optimal longevity and functionality.

Schedule

Conclusion

Testing results

We tested the system using a hose because there was no precipitation for testing. After our initial installation, we noticed that the first flush was leaking but did not have the equipment to fix it on sight. In addition, the ball we used in the first flush did not appear to float. Otherwise, our system appeared functional.

Discussion

After discussing with our instructor, we realized that our initial design was to simply glue a 2" pipe into the first flush bucket. Our instructor informed us that this connection carries a lot of pressure and that we would have more success using a bulkhead fitting. We returned to the site and installed a bulkhead fitting onto the lid of the first flush, we also replaced the ball we used initially with a lighter ball which is more bouyant. The first flush functioned well after these changes.

Lessons learned

• Stay in better contact with the client, do not be afraid to contact the client repeatedly.
• Have a complete project design with accurate prototyping before starting construction, this will save a lot of time and energy.
• Be more thorough in data collection on-site before construction.
• Take more detailed photos of the construction process for better documentation.
• Double check measurements before cutting pipe, drilling holes, etc.
• Start construction earlier.

Next steps

• The overflow needs to be connected to a hose or downspout in order to direct the flow to a useful location, or at least a location that won't cause swampiness or erosion.
• The valve for releasing water needs to be adapted for hose use.
• The irrigation system must be altered for compatibility with the catchment system.
• The client would like to install an additional catchment system connected to another structure on the property. They have already been donated an additional 5000-gallon tank to do so.

Troubleshooting

Here is some information on troubleshooting basic operations. For more information on similar projects, refer to Lonny Grafman's book To Catch the Rain, available free at .

Team

• Colin Mateer
• Aida Castro
• Anais Southard

References