In order to contribute to St. Edward’s University’s commitment to sustainability, MSEM students Emily Conway and Phoebe Romero are completing their Master’s-level research project on the feasibility of a rainwater harvesting system on campus. Read on to find Phoebe’s description of the project:
We have created a georeferenced map of St. Edward’s University using ArcGIS. Using the square footage and elevation data from this map and facilities floor plans, we’ve been evaluating various rainwater collection scenarios to determine the best option for the university.
Emily and I have created a rainwater harvesting calculator that uses: roof catchment capacity, average rainfall per month, and a site-specific runoff coefficient to determine collection potential. Once a monthly collection potential is considered, a viable tank size will be determined. We are considering a system that would be used to irrigate one or more of the athletic fields on campus. Sustainability within athletic departments is growing, and several universities in the country have installed rainwater harvesting systems to water their athletic fields, which very often require the most irrigation. Thus, we aim to illustrate the opportunity that St. Edward’s has to be at the forefront of the “greening college sports” movement, while reducing water costs to irrigate athletic fields.
We will provide a detailed analysis of the economic and environmental benefits of adopting a system. We are working with rainwater consulting and installation companies such as Innovative Water Solutions, Tank Town, and LF Manufacturing, Inc. to obtain industry insight on the functional aspects of various systems and their respective approximate costs. Our financial analysis will estimate a payback period for the project. Beyond the return on investment, we believe the system is important because it actively addresses the vast need for water conservation initiatives in Texas. The drought and rising population make water an increasingly scarce resource.
As educational institutions, universities have the ability to educate their community through effective modeling. A rainwater harvesting system could serve a larger purpose than economics; it could be an educational resource for the community.
Besides presenting at SEU’s Earth Week MSEM Symposium on April 23rd, which is part of Earth Week 2014 program, we will share our findings with the Board of Trustees on May 9, 2014.