Sustainability

Student Teams Compete for Sustainability Grants

waterwheel-233527_640According to an article in Water Citizen News, student teams showcased their projects at this year’s National Sustainable Design Expo while competing for the 11th Annual EPA People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) awards.

Through the P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers opportunities to college students to compete for grants for their ideas that promote sustainable solutions that benefit people and the planet.

In April, teams brought bring their projects to the National Sustainable Design Expo for judging by a panel of experts from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The best student projects have the chance to win funding up to $75,000 to move the project design through to implementation and potentially, the marketplace. This year’s expo (Phase 2) was held from April 11-12 at Oronoco Bay Park in Alexandria, VA.

Several ideas were submitted, covering a range of topics across the spectrum of planet preservation like conversion of food waste into energy and using wastewater for crop fertilization, or ways to save water.

Among this year’s winners, an honorable mention went to the team from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University for Floating Island on a Roof for Rainwater Management.

Their idea addressed 2 issues faced by large cities:

  • Storm water management and
  • Loss of green spaces.

The project focused on urban growth causing a rise in impervious surfaces, which advances the amount of untreated rainwater runoff in rivers and lakes instead of penetrating porous soil; and that urban development also decreases area for vegetation, resulting in loss of biological diversity and also creating an urban heat island.

Students’ design objective was to reduce runoff from roofs, and provide biological diversity in urban areas using a ‘Floating Island on a Roof’, consisting of a pond on a roof with a floating island. The expected results are runoff reduction from roofs and an increase in green space and biodiversity in urban or built environments.

Congratulations to all of the participants for their efforts to preserve our planet through innovative and forward thinking, and to the EPA and American Association for the Advancement of Science for funding ideas that support a sustainable future.

Infrastructure, Rainwater Catchment

Duke Energy Pleads Guilty to Violating Clean Water Act

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)In a North Carolina courtroom, Thursday, Duke Energy, the country’s largest electricity provider, plead guilty to 9 criminal violations of the federal Clean Water Act.

According ABC News, “as part of a negotiated settlement with federal prosecutors, Duke agreed to pay $68 million in fines and $34 million on environmental projects and land conservation that will benefit rivers and wetlands in North Carolina and Virginia.”

Prior to the settlement, Duke spokeswoman Erin Culbert told The Associated Press that any homeowner who gets a state letter warning of a tainted well will get safe bottled water from Duke, if they request it. While denying responsibly for the problem, Culbert said Duke simply wants to provide the homeowners “peace of mind.”

RainBank has questioned the safety of our water supplies with the news about Toledo’s water supply affected by a toxic algae bloom – disturbing over one half million customers, and a coal spill in the West Virginia River that contaminated drinking water. The Keystone XL pipeline poses a potential threat of contamination to the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska. Additionally, it’s being discovered that wells are being contaminated with fracking chemicals.

We can see contamination events are happening more often, which affect our safe water supplies – and provide another good reason to support decentralized water and rainwater collection.

How-to, Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

4 Step Rainwater Harvesting Systems

construction-370588_640RainBank Rainwater Systems is proud to announce that, beginning June 1st, we will be a dealer of WISY Products and the 4 step system.  A rainwater system designed with WISY products requires minimal maintenance and never needs replacing.

Step 1. WISY VORTEX FILTER

Before entering the tank for storage, rainwater should be both filtered and aerated.  Filtration removes large particulate matter, which frequently both carries and feeds bacteria.  Removal of this particulate matter, along with oxygenation of the water, greatly reduces the amount of harmful bacteria in the tank.  WISY pre-tank filters accomplish both of these tasks, protecting the water quality in the tank.

Step 2. WISY SMOOTHING INLET

While filtration removes most of the sediment and bacteria before rainwater enters the tank, a small quantity will settle at the bottom of the tank.  This biofilm layer is beneficial for the tank and may remove additional bacteria and metals from the water.  The WISY smoothing inlet calms rainwater as it enters the storage tank to prevent the agitation of sediment at the rainwater inlet.  The smoothing inlet also helps aerate harvested rainwater by directing water upward and outward, avoiding disruption of the beneficial biofilm layer and preserving water quality in the tank.

Step 3. WISY FLOATING FILTER

Since all harvested rainwater is filtered before entering the tank, the floating filter should never clog but will instead take water from just below the surface.  Water at this depth is of the highest quality in the tank, because any particulate that enters the tank either floats on the surface or settles to the bottom.  In RainBank designed systems, the floating filter acts more as an uptake point for the pump than a filter; thus, the floating filter should never require maintenance.

The floating filter consists of a polyethylene ball and stainless steel filter and is supplied with a standard 7 foot length of food-grade suction hose.  The nozzle connections are available in 1 1/4″ and 2″ sizes.

Step 4. WISY OVERFLOW DEVICE

To prevent backup in the system during heavy rains, the storage tank should always include an overflow protection device.  The WISY overflow device has a flapper valve, which allows water to overflow but protects water quality in the cistern with backflow prevention and vermin protection.  The overflow device also contains an angled opening to provide skimming of small buoyant debris, such as pollen, on the water surface.

Be sure to visit us again as we roll out our products and services associated to the 4 Step System. If you have questions, leave them in the comments section below, or contact us.

Rainwater Systems