ADECENTRALIZEDWATERSYSTEM:

ComplimentingtheCentralizedSystemwitha

RainHarvestingStormwaterUtility

PRESENTEDBY:SteveWilliams404-234-1358

therainsaver@icloud.comAtlanta,GA©2016

INTRODUCTION 3

EXECUTIVESUMMARY 4

THEPLAN 4

SITES 4

CATCHMENTAREA 5

COSTSANDRATES 5

ENERGY 6

RAINWATERFILTRATION 7

EVAPORATION 8

AESTHETICS 9

MAINTENANCE 10

INCONCLUSION 10

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INTRODUCTIONThisproposalwillexplainhowusingrainwaterharvestingasaBestManagementPractice(BMP)toreduceWlowsduringraineventsandprovidethewaterfornon-potableneedscanbeneWitautility.Watercapturedfromstormeventscanbesoldtocustomersneedingnon-potablewaterthroughtheleasingoftanksforWlatfeeandhaveaccessviahydrantstowaterfromlargertanks.Ifthewaterrateis high enough the utilitywill recoup there costwith in the lifecycle of the system. For exampleGwinnettCounty’sinGeorgiairrigationrateof$9.70per1000gallonswouldbringapositivereturnontheinvestmentof15-20yearsdependingonthetankchoiceandsize.

TheideaofadecentralizedsystemcametomeinstagesafterIrealizedthepotentialthatrainwaterharvestingcouldbringtoourarea.Iwitnessedlandscapingtruckswateringplants,peoplewashingsidewalks and urban gardens trying to supplement irrigation with rain barrels. All were usingpotablewater.Ifrainwaterharvestingsystems(RHS)wereplacedthroughoutacitytosupplycleannon-potablewater,muchofourwatercouldbesupplieddirectlyfromtherain.

Theproblemof implementingRHSona large scale in the private sector is alarge upfront cost and lack of short-termpaybackontheinvestment.Manyirrigation RHS will take will have apayback of 10 years or more due toseasonal use and the erratic climatepatterns;however, once installed, costand maintenance are minimal. A RHSshouldhavea lifecycleof20-30yearsormoregivingapositivereturnon15years or more to payback, becausetheyhaveseasonaluseandtheerraticclimatepatternswe investment. If theutilities had a revenue source fromrain harvesting they would embrace the practice. Through my investigation in this project, thelowerenergyrequirementsdiscoveredandstormwatermanagementbeneWitsinRHSarethekeytomaking themeconomical.This ledme to realize that this concept couldbeusedas a self fundedstormwaterutilitythatprovidesaproduct(water)forafeetopayfortheutilitycost.

IliveinAtlantawhererainfallhasbeenhistoricallyplentifulwithanaverage50inchesofrainperyearfallingonthecity.Rainharvestingallowsthecaptureof0.625gallonsofwaterpersquarefootofroofper1inchofrain.Inrealityjustover0.5gallonsofwaterpersquarefootiscaptured.Rainharvesting loses approximately 15-20% during catchment depending on the roof design andweatherconditions.A10,000squarefootbuildingcanproduceasmuchas275,000gallonsofwaterperyearinAtlanta.

Anotherfactoristhequalityofwater.Rainwatercontainsvirtuallynomineralsorchemicals.Whencaptured properly the water is of potable quality in the tank. Domestic water from the utilitycontainschlorine,Wluorideandwiderangeofminerals,chemicalsandpossiblyprescriptiondrugs.Waterwithmineralsandchemicalsretardsplantsgrowthsometimesasmuchas20-30percentandrequire more water to quench the plant’s thirst. Well water also retards plants growth and

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Monthly!Averages!of!RainwaterMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total

1981-2010!30!yr!ave 4.20 4.67 4.81 3.36 3.66 3.95 5.27 3.90 4.47 3.41 4.10 3.90 49.70

diminishes the quality of the soil over time. For more information download Irrigation WaterQualityforAgriculturefromtheUGAExtensionService.

This plan will explain how water authorities in moderate to wet climates can use rainwater tosupplytheirnon-potablewaterneeds,generaterevenuesfromthesaleofthiswaterandprovideastormwaterutilitythatfundsitself.

EXECUTIVESUMMARYThisplanistodevelopadecentralizedwatersystemthroughoutanauthorityfornon-potableusessuchas irrigation,urbanfarms,parks,washingneeds,water features,utilitytrucksandanyothernon-potableneeds.Theauthoritycaninstallandmaintainthetanksallowingarevenuestreamtooffsetthepotablewaterloss.Therainwaterharvestingsystemscanbeleasedatamonthlyfeebasedonthecostof thesystemorbehookeduptoviolethydrants toallowvehicles Will their tanksandprovide revenue. The feeswill be based on the cost ofwater using current rates. A self-fundingstormwaterutilityiscreated.

Wateruseforthisprojectfallsintotwocategorieslistedbelow:• Non-Potable Water Use: This includes a better quality of water used, stored and sold for

irrigation,waterfeatures,port-a-potties,streetsweepersandutilitytrucks.• StormwaterManagement–Managingthequantityandqualityofstormwater.Thestormwater

thatrunsoff roofswillbedirectedto tanks foruseandduring theoffseasoncanbereleasedslowlyovertimetominimizeWlooding.ThiswillhelpkeepcontaminantsoutstreamsaswellasreduceWloodinganderosion.

THEPLANComponentsofthePlanInclude:

• Tankswillbe setup inparksandatprivatebusinesses to supplywater for irrigationandotherneedsandbechargedaWlatfeebasedoncostofthesystemandcurrentwaterrates.

• Anemergencywaterreservewillbeavailablethroughoutthecity.• StormwatermanagementreducingWloodingandstreampollution.• Newsourceofrevenueforauthorities.• StormwatermanagementreducingCSO’s

PaymentwouldbechargedmonthlyasaWlatfeeorthesameastraditionalratesiflargetankswereerectedwith hydrant access. Thiswould allow the customer to budgetwater costs and offer theauthority a simple payment system eliminating the cost of meter installation, maintenance andreadingofmeters.UsingtanksasaWinitesourceofwaterwillhelpeducatecustomerstothevalueofwaterandhowmuchtheyuse.

SITESSiteswillvary.Abovegroundtanksaretheeasiesttosetupandremoveallowingversatility.Therecan also be Public/Private Partnerships created to allow private buildings to allow placement oftanksonprivateland.Stormwatercreditsornon-proWitdonationstothesystemcancomplimenttheuse.OneexampleisTheMercedes-BenzStadium,HomeoftheAtlantaFalconsandAtlantaUnitedsupportofa7300gallonrainwatersystemforTreesAtlantaonthecontractorstrailersbelow.

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CATCHMENTAREAMany types of roofs can be used. Exceptions arewood, roofs using aggregate; roofswith copperWlashingorguttersandroofstreatedwithalgaeinhibitorsifusedforfood.Roofsshouldbeslopedwithno standingwaterandbe smooth.Water testing is available through stateand independentlabsifqualityisimportant.IhavetestedfourofmysystemsandtheyallpassedGeorgiaresidentialstandardsforpotablewater.

Below are models of sites I have assessed for a large-scale project I proposed for theWestsideBeltlinecorridorforTreesAtlanta.TreesAtlantaneedsapproximately30,000gallonsofwaterperweekandtheexistingbuildingswillprovidethisandmore.Thewateriscurrentlyrunningoffthebuildingsandintothestormwaterdrainsandadjacentpropertiesunused.Literallymillionsofgallonsareavailablefornon-potableuse.

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COSTSANDRATESFrommycalculationsaminimumwaterrate forallwater tiersof$6.16per748gallons (CCF)or$8.21per1000gallonsisneededtoallowapositivelifecycleinvestmentbasedonAtlantasrateifalltierswerethesame.Astormwaterutilitywouldalsohelpmakethissystemeconomicallyfeasible.TheminimumpricesarebasedontheCityofAtlanta’shighesttierirrigationrateusedatalltiers,notshown.IamusingGwinnettCounty’srate,becauseitisanapprovedrate.

Building! Length Width Roof!Area

Tanks!2500!Gallons

!Tank!Capacity

Extra!Tanks

!Tank!Capacity

Total!Capacity

Gallons!per!Inch!(Week)

Gallons!per!Month

Gallons!per!Year

Growing!Season

RHS!Roof!Top!Data!Beltline!Cooridor

Building!Long! 36 360 12,960 3 7,500 7 17,500 25,000 7,128 28,512 370,656 199,5841065!Donnelly!-!Big!Tank 300 145 43,500 0 0 1 75,000 75,000 23,925 95,700 1,244,100 669,9001320!WHITE!ST! 13,359 3 7,500 9 22,500 30,000 7,347 29,390 382,067 205,729

Total 69,819 15 37,500 46 115,000 130,000 38,400 153,602 1,996,823 1,075,213

Building! Length Width Roof!Area

Tanks!2500!Gallons

!Tank!Capacity

Extra!Tanks

!Tank!Capacity

Total!Capacity

Gallons!per!Inch!(Week)

Per!Month Per!Year Growing!

Season

RHS!Roof!Top!Data!Washington!Park

Navatorium!!South!Large!Tank 165 100 15,500 0 38,500 1 38,500 38,500 8,525 34,100 426,250 238,700Cooridor!and!WP!Totals 85,319 6 16 168,500 46,925 187,702 2,423,073 1,313,913

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Wateruseisbasedonmaximumuseofthetank.Tanksaresizedaccordingtonowateravailabilityfor4-5weeks inawetclimate.Moderateclimatesmayneedmorestoragecapacity.Wateruseforirrigation is erratic, because of climate. However, when needed water becomes invaluable.StormwatermanagementbeneWitscannotbeincludedbecausestormwaterutilitiesvary.

The following table shows the water rates and cost of 2500 gallon leased tanks with pumpscomparingwaterratesandmonthlyfees.WaterfeesarebasedoncurrentfeesandtheoriginalrateirrigationforAtlanta.Pricesshowyearlyrates(ROI)andratesbasedongrowingseason(GS)useascomparedofthesameusewithwaterrates.Growingseasonisestimatedat8months.GreenpricesarepositiveROIandRedpricesareanegativeROI.

Prices include tank, roof washer filter, first flush diverter, plumbing, pump, maintenance and labor and footer pad.

The following table shows the leaseprice, costandreturnofa38,500gallon leased tankswithapump.Waterfeesarebasedoncurrentfeesandtheoriginalrateirrigation.GreenpricesarepositiveROIandRedpricesareanegativeROI.

Prices include tank, roof washer filter, first flush diverter, plumbing, pump, maintenance and labor and footer pad.

ENERGYThekeycomponenttoRHSthatmaybeoverlookedis theenergysavings. SatisfyingtheNation’swater needs requires energy for distribution and treatment ofwater. Electricity costs representsapproximately 75 percent of the cost of municipal water processing and distribution (Powicki,

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Tank w/Pump w/oPump

RateofWaterperGallon

TankLeasingPricewith20%MarginperMonthPublicBuiltROI

15Year

w/Pump

15Year

w/oPump

20Year

w/Pump

20Year

w/oPump

25Year

w/Pump

25Year

w/oPump

30Year

w/Pump

30Year

w/oPump$/Gallon

TankLeasingPricewith20%MarginperMonthPublicBuiltROI

0-2,500

Gallons

1Tank

2,500-

5,000

Gallons

5,000-

7,500

Gallons

7,500-

10,000

Gallons

$9.70 $9.70 $9.70 $9.70

IrrigationRateGwinett

County1000Gallons

2500GallonTank $5,400.00 $4,800.00Addnl2500GallonTank $3,750.00

TOTALCostofWater

15YearROI

20YearROI

25YearROI

30YearROI

15YearGrowingSeason

20YearGrowingSeason

25YearGrowingSeason

30YearGrowingSeason

$30.00 $26.67 $22.50 $20.00 $18.00 $16.00 $15.00 $13.33 $2.16$20.00 $15.00 $12.00 $10.00 $1.44

TOTAL

$24.25$48.50 $72.75 $97.00

$24.25 $48.50 $72.75 $97.00

$30.00 $56.67 $83.33 $110.00

$22.50 $42.50 $62.50 $82.50

$18.00 $34.00 $50.00 $66.00

$15.00 $28.33 $41.67 $55.00

$40.20 $75.93 $111.67 $147.40

$30.15 $56.95 $83.75 $110.55

$24.12 $45.56 $67.00 $88.44

$20.10 $37.97 $55.83 $73.70

Costw/Pump

15Yearw/Pump

20Yearw/Pump

25Yearw/Pump

$65,123.55 $361.80 $271.35 $217.08TOTALMONTHLY

CostofWaterper1000Gallons

LeaseLargeTankPriceBreakdownROIperMonthPrivateBuilt38,500GallonTankforUtility

$/Gallon

$1.69TOTALMONTHLY

CostofWaterper1000Gallons

LeaseLargeTankPriceBreakdownROIperMonthPrivateBuilt38,500GallonTankforUtility IrrigationRateGwinettCounty1000Gallons

1Tank38,500Gallons

$9.70

$373.45

25YearGrowingSeason

15YearROI20YearROI

15YearGrowingSeason20YearGrowingSeason

25YearROI

25YearGrowingSeason

15YearROI20YearROI

15YearGrowingSeason20YearGrowingSeason

25YearROI

$361.80$271.35$217.08$484.81$363.61$290.89

2002) according to the ENERGY DEMANDS ON WATER RESOURCES by the US Department ofEnergy. Thetablebelowshows2.33%costforenergyforthelargetankexample.1

Energyreduction isaknownbeneWit inwaterefWiciency,butthere is littlepublicdiscussionaboutthehowmuchenergyisusedrelatedtowatertreatment.Asmentionedaboveakeycomponentofthis plan is energy savings. The cost of treatment for RHSwill only includemaintenance of theWilters,maintenanceofthetanksandthecostofelectricityforpumpingwaterwithasmallpumptotransferthewateronsite.Noenergyisrequiredtotreatthewatercollected,becausegravityisusedto clean the water as it piped into the tank from the roof as described below in the rainwaterWiltrationsection.Notonlywill thissystemreducepotablewateruse,butwillsaveagreatdealofenergy.

RAINWATERFILTRATIONRainwaterisverycleanbeforeandafteritlandsontheroofifcollectedproperly.Toprovidecleanrainwaterthesurfaceoftheroofmustbecleaned.ThisisaccomplishedbyWilteringthewaterWirstthrougharoofwasher(Winestainlesssteelscreen)placedatthebottomofexistingdownspoutstoremovetheparticulates.TherewillbetwodifferentstylesofroofwashersonewillbeanAustralianRainHeadthatcanbeusedforlong-termleases.

ENERGY DEMANDS ON WATER RESOURCES - REPORT TO CONGRESS ON THE INTERDEPENDENCY 1

OF ENERGY AND WATER Chapter III conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy - 12/2006

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ThenextstepistodiverttheWirst2%ofthewaterontheroofto a Wirst Wlush device. This device will divert the roofcontaminantsinthewaterfromthetank.WhenthepipesareWilledthedeviceclosesandcleanwaterwillgointothetanks.ThecontaminantswilldrainfromtheWirstWlushdeviceslowlybackintotheground.

TheotherWilterWISYwillbeusedforSystemsthatmaybemoved regularly the customers temporaryneeds. The Wisy can be used for short-termlocationuse. It iseasyto install,durableandhasaWirst Wlush built in to the technology. Other Wiltersmaybeusedonthelargertankstoprovidethesameresults.

Volts Amps kW Hours kWh Price/kWh Total YearlyRevenue %ofUse230 17.5 4.03 340.3 1,369.6 $0.074 $101.35 $4,341.60 2.33%

ElectricityConsumptionw/38,500gallonsofstoragegrowingseason

TANKS

EVAPORATIONWater is stored more efWiciently in tanks then in lakes, traditional reservoirs, because ofevaporation.According toanAJCarticleSunDrains .2 InchofWaterDaily fromLanierbySatavySheltonPublishedon06/19/08 193.9milliongallonsofwater evaporated from the lake, themainwater source formore than3million in metro Atlanta. By comparison, Gwinnett County withdrew an average of 74.2 milliongallonsadayfromthelakeinMay,orlessthanhalftheamountthat'sdisappearinginthesun'srays.

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Tanks will be 2500 gallon above ground and made from FDAapproved UV stabilized polyethylene. Smaller tanks were pricedandthereturnwasunfavorable.Thesetanksareusuallygreen,butare available in a variety colors. To increase capacity 2500 gallontankscanbe linked togetheror theuseofaplastic liner tankcanprovidealargerstoragecapacity.

The water then enters the tank through a calming inlet so not to stir anysediment settled on the bottom of the tank. The water is Wiltered throughanother Wine stainless steel screen attached to a Wloating Wilterwhen pumpedoutofthetank.TheWiltercollectsthewater6-8inchesbelowthesurface.Thisisthecleanestandmostoxygenatedwater.Ifthissimpledesignisfollowedthewater in the tanks shouldbepotable.Noother Wiltration isneeded. Inlet andoutletpipesareinstalledinternallytominimizedamageduringtransportationandwhile in use. The system also preventsmosquitos from leaving the tankthroughpipingandscreens.

Plasticlinertankscanstoreupto800thousandgallonsandarebuiltonsite.Tankscanbeplacedonthegroundsupportedbypaversorgravelforeasyinstallationandremoval.Thesetankscomeincorrugatedorindustrialstylesasseenbelow.

A3yearcomparisontestwasinitiatedwith32oz.ofwaterinanopenbowl(reservoir)comparedtoa32oz.bottleofwater(cistern)withaloosecapandthelastyearanopenbottletosimulatetheventing system. The green bottle simulates a rainwater cistern,which has only a venting systemconnectingittotheenvironment.Thebottledcontained32ozofwaterandonlylost1-2ozeachyearwhere the bowl lost 4.75 gallons each year for 2 years. The test for the third year the capwasremovedlost5oz.intheopenbottleand5.75gallonsforthebowl.Detailedresultsareavailablebyrequest.

AESTHETICSManypeopleopposeabovegroundrainwatertanksasugly.Manyare,butIhaverealizedthistobeuntrue. Somemanufacturers off asmany a 13 different colors as seen on the previous page andincorporate a black layer to completely remove light from entering the tanks. Below are a fewexamplesofpleasingtankdesignsandthereisalwaysthechoicetoputinonthesideofabuildingthatisnotviewed.

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Open Top Loose TopEvaporation Test

MAINTENANCEQuarterly maintenance is usually sufWicient. Maintenance consists of cleaning the roof washerscreen, the Wirst Wlush Wilter and gutters. Each site is different and will have to be monitored. Iffunctioning properly the tanks should remain working/clean for years. Maintenance can beperformed by the client, but should also be inspected by local authority twice a year which isincludedinthecosts.

INCONCLUSIONThisconceptwillhelprainwaterharvestingbecomemoreaccessibletothepublicandprovidethemwiththequalityofwatertheywantwithoutthelargeupfrontinvestmentnecessarytoimplementrainwaterharvesting.As thepracticegrowsotherscansee thebeneWitsandrealize the long-terminvestment is economically feasible. Information on energy use and evaporation were shared toshow howmuchmore efWicient and sustainable rainwater harvesting can be when compared totraditionalwaterreservoirs.ThesystemwillcomplementthecentralizedsystemandbeaproWitablerevenuestreamforthecity.Theconceptistoprovideahigherqualitywatersourcefornon-potableuse,whichcanbepricedcompetitivelywithdomesticwater. Infact,thishasthepotentialtobeaself-sustainingstormwaterutility.

Bymanaging rainwater and stormwater efWicientlywould insure plenty ofwater for generations.Expanding the reservoir system with the cost of land, new infrastructure, energy use,environmental issuesandthe lossduetoevaporationseemsfutile.Adecentralizedsystemcanbeimplemented within several years instead of the decades it takes to complete a reservoir. Withdrought conditions forecast for Georgia in the near future, now is the time to considerimplementingthisplan.

Moredataisavailableuponrequest.Iwelcomeallcommentsandsuggestions.

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