ADECENTRALIZEDWATERSYSTEM:

ComplimentingtheCentralizedSystemwithRainHarvesting

TheTank

PRESENTEDBY:SteveWilliams404-234-1358

therainsaver@icloud.comAtlanta,GA©2016

2 | P a g e

INTRODUCTION 3

EXECUTIVESUMMARY 4

THEPLAN 5

ENERGY 6

USAGE 7

SITE 8

RAINWATERFILTRATION 9

TANKS 9

EVAPORATION 9

STORMWATERMANAGEMENT 10

MAINTENANCE 11

INCONCLUSION 11

SITEPLAN 12

COMPONENTS 13

PROPOSAL 14

3 | P a g e

INTRODUCTIONTheideaofadecentralizedsystemcametomeinstagesafter I realized thepotential that rainwaterharvestingcould bring to our area. I saw landscaping truckswatering plants, people washing sidewalks and urbangardenswateringtheirharvests.Allwereusingpotablewater to satisfy their needs. I believed if rainwaterharvestingsystems(RHS)wereplacedthroughoutthecity to supply clean non-potable water, much of ourwater needs could be supplied directly from the rain.When rainwater is used it is poorly designed systemswithalgaebloomingorsupplementirrigationwithrainbarrels not apple to capture enoughwater for the dryperiods. Because of the long return on investment forthese systems when sewer rates are eliminated andclimatecycles, thegeneralpublic isnot incentivized toinvestinRHS.

Water in Atlanta is plentiful, on average 50 inches ofrainayear.However, it is justnotmanagedverywell.Atlantausesapproximately600,000,000gallonsofwatereachday(gpd)inmetroAtlantaaccordingtotheMetroNorthGeorgiaWaterDistrict(MNGWD)and20%ofthiswatergoestowardsnon-potableuse.Themetroareacovers4832squaremiles. If1 inchofrainwasevenlydistributedoverthe14countyareaandcouldbecaptured,itcouldsupplyAtlanta’swaterfor140days.1Thissameconceptcanbeapplied,butnotquiteasefficientlytorainharvesting.Rainharvestingallowsthecaptureof0.625gallonsofwaterperinchper1inchof rain off a roof, but in reality just over 0.5 gallons ofwater per inch is captured. Rainharvesting loses approximately 15-20% during catchment depending on the roof designandweatherconditions;howeveronce inthetankthewater loss isnegligible.Rainwatercanbestored,deliveredandtreatedveryefficientlyusingverylittleenergy.TheefficiencyofstorageissomethingIdonotheartobetakenintoaccountwhendesigningreservoirsorcomparingrainharvestingtoreservoirs.EvaporationfromLakeLanierisabout40inchesperyearwithanannualaverageprecipitationof54.8inches,whichcalculatestoa73%lossofwateraccordingtoaUSDepartmentofCommerceTechnicalPaper.12

1PavingOurWaytoWaterShortages:HowSprawlAggravatestheEffectsofDroughtby:BetsyOtto,KatherineRansel,andJasonTodd,AmericanRivers,DeronLovaasandHannahStutzman,NaturalResourcesDefenseCouncil,JohnBailey,SmartGrowthAmerica2 US Department of Commerce Technical Paper NO. 37, M. A. Kohler, T. J. Nordenson and D. R. BakerHydrologicalServiceDivision,1959EvapotranspirationandDroughtsbyRonaldL.Hanson,U.S.GeologicalSurvey1991

MonthlyAveragesofRainwaterMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total

1981-201030yravg 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

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total

4 | P a g e

The key component that may not be realized is energy savings. Satisfying the Nation’swater needs requires energy for distribution and treatment of water. Electricity costsrepresents approximately 75 percent of the cost of municipal water processing anddistribution(Powicki,2002)accordingtotheENERGYDEMANDSONWATERRESOURCESby the US Department of Energy.3 The cost of treatment for RHS will only includemaintenanceofthefilters,maintenanceofthetanksandthecostofelectricity.

EXECUTIVESUMMARYWiththeconcernoverwaterquantityandquality, thisproposalprovidesasolutionforawater source to help fill the non-potable water needs of Atlanta and similar waterenvironments. It will also provide a model and training facility for Best ManagementPractice (BMP) to reduce stormwater run off that pollutes our streams. The location at1150 Murphy Ave. Atlanta, GA 30310 is located in SW Atlanta. This is a state ownedwarehouse with an abandoned firewater tank chosen to be the site to launch adecentralizedwatersystemthatprovidesasourceofcleannon-potablewaterforAtlanta.Thewatercustomerswillbecharged,astheyarewhenusingfirehydrantsusing3”metersprovidedbythecity.ThewaterwillbedeliveredthroughbluefirehydrantsonAvonAve.allowing easy access. The systems can supplywater for irrigation trucks, port-a-potties,streetsweepers,utilitytrucksandothernon-potableneeds.

The Murphy Ave. site can produce approximately 2,822,339 gallons of water per year,whichwillgenerateapproximately$28,148.03annuallybasedonthecurrentcostofwaterof$7.47perCCF(748gallons)thatwaspublishedontheirwebsite.Theestimatedcostoftheprojectis$850,349.27.(2013)Thereturnoninvestmentwillbeapproximately42.6years.Ifthe12yearaverageofa5.6%yearlyincreaseofwaterpricingfrom2001through20013basedonthe50LargestCitiesWaterandWastewaterRepotbyBlack&Veatch4isincludedthereturndropsto27.4years.Howeverthecity isactuallycharging$6.16perCCFwhichincreasestheROIby25%.Ifweincludethecostofsewerwhichincludesmoneytocoverstormwaterissuesaswellassewagethewaterrateis$21.585perCCFwecouldreducetherateof11.5yearsbasedontheoriginalrateand7.4yearsbasedontheBlack&Veachrate.

3 ENERGY DEMANDS ON WATER RESOURCES - REPORT TO CONGRESS ON THE INTERDEPENDENCY OF ENERGY AND WATER Chapter III conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy - 12/2006 4 50 Largest Cities Water and Wastewater Report byBlack&Veatch 5 CityofAtlantaDWM-ApprovedFY2008-09throughFY2011-12WaterandSewerRates

ReturnonInvestmentGallonsProduced CCF Cost/CCF MoneyPer

YearCostofProject

MaintenanceTank/Year ROI/Years 5%CostIncrease

ROI/Years

2,822,339 3,768 $6.16 $23,211.76 $850,349.27 $8,200.00 56.6 36.4

2,822,339 3,768 $7.47 $28,148.03 $850,349.27 $8,200.00 42.6 27.4

2,822,339 3,768 $21.85 $82,333.92 $850,349.27 $8,200.00 11.5 7.4

5 | P a g e

Wateruseforthisprojectfallsintotwocategorieslistedbelow:

• Non-PotableWaterUse:Thisincludeswaterused,storedandsoldforirrigation,port-a-potties,streetsweepersandutilitytrucks.

• Stormwater Management – Managing the quantity and quality of stormwater. Thestormwater that runs off the land and driveways will be directed to swales and arainwatergardentoallowittosoakintotheearthandreplenishgroundwater.Runofffrom the roofwill be stored in tanks and used or during lowusage periods releasedaftertheraineventandcanbereleasedslowlyovertimetominimizeflooding.

THEPLANApilotprogram implementedby theDWMcan start this systemat1150MurphyAve, astateownedproperty.Thepilotprojectcanthenbeusedtodevelopaplan,workingoutthedetailsforexpansionintootherareasintheirservicearea.Differentproductscanbetestedatthepilotsiteandutilityworkersandthepubliccanbetrained.Araingardenandswalescanbedesignedandtestedtostudyandtraininspectorsingreeninfrastructurepractices,anewprogrampromotedbythecityfornewdevelopment.This sitewas chosen because of the existing tank and large roof area of 103,250 sq. ft.,whichcollect56,787gallonsofwaterper1inchofrain(gpi).Thetankhasbeenabandonandcanberefurbishedfor50-65%ofthecostofanewtank.Whenthetankisrestoreditcan be labeled RAINWATERwith a messageWhen it Rains ... We Store... coined by theSoutheasternRainwaterHarvestingSystemsAssociation,topromotethispractice.1150MurphyAvenuesiteprovides:

• Statepropertywithabandonedandunusedwatertank.• Refurbishing tank less expensive then building a new

one.• IndustrialI-1zoning.• Easilyaccessiblelocationforwaterdelivery.• SupplywaterforTreesAtlanta’swestsideneeds.• Supplywaterfordowntownwateringneeds.• BackupwatersupplyforBeltlineFarms.• Energycostscanbeeliminatedthroughsalesofenergy

throughphotovoltaicpanels.• WaterTankcouldbeusedasapublicrelationsdeviceto

promoteAtlantaasasustainableleader.TankwouldbeseenbyMARTAridersandvisitorscomingintothecityonMARTA

ComponentsofthePlanInclude:

• The DWM sets up rain tanks on public property to sell rainwater to businessesthroughoutthecity.

6 | P a g e

• Tankscanbesetupforparks,urbanfarmsandurbangardenstosupplywaterforirrigation.

• Increasethepriceof irrigationmetersorpricethewateratahigherratethentherainwater.

• Energycostscanbeeliminatedthroughsalesofenergythroughphotovoltaicpanels• Revenuecanbegeneratedbysellingtherainwater• Anemergencywaterreservewillbeavailablethroughoutthecity• StormwatermanagementreducingSCO• PossiblefundingsourcesfromGEFAforutilities• Possiblefundingsourcesfromdivertingreservoirfunding• Possiblefundingsourcesfromdivertingdecentdecreefundstoreducestormwater

overflowssimilartotheHistoricFourthWardPark• Newjobsforengineers,contractors,plumbersandmaintenancepersonnel.

Costs forRHS run from$3-$6per gallonof storage.This systemwill cost approximately$5.28per gallonwith green infrastructure component and$4.21per gallonwithout thegreeninfrastructurecomponent.Thecostoftraditionalreservoirsrunsfrom$4.64-$13.24pergallon.6

DecentralizedSystem 175,000gallons $850,349.27 $4.86(2013)

ENERGYEnergyreductionisaknownbenefitinwaterefficiency,butthereislittlepublicdiscussionabout the howmuch energy is used related towater treatment and distribution or anytracking of this amount. As mentioned above the key component is energysavings.SatisfyingtheNation’swaterneedsrequiresenergyfordistributionandtreatmentof water. The cost of treatment for RHS will only include maintenance of the filters, 6 Georgia Water Task Force Final Report, December 2009

7 | P a g e

maintenance of the tanks and the cost of electricity. The cost of electricity for pumpingwater from the underground tanks to the elevated tanks onMurphy Ave.is$907.09peryear. This cost is only2.53%of the revenue generated. This2.53% cost of the revenuegeneratedandcanbeoffsetwithphotovoltaicpanels illustrated in theEnergyReductionsectionbelow.Notonlywillthissystemreducepotablewateruse,butwillsaveagreatdealofenergy.

Thedistributioncanalsobeoffsetwithphotovoltaicpanels (PV)producingenergy tobesoldbacktoGeorgiaPower.BasedoncurrentratesfromGeorgiaPoweris$.167perkWh.The774hoursofpumpingwillberequiredtofill the2,822,338.8gallonsthecatchmentareawillproducethroughouttheyearattheMurphyAve.site.Theelectricitythatisoffsetby PV panels on the roof will cost $15,750.00 and have a payback of 17.43 yearsdependingonincentivesandratesatthetimeofimplementation.7

Thewaterwillbedeliveredtothehydrantsbygravity.Thetankis100feethighandwillprovide a consistent pressure of 43psiwithno energy required.Anotherbenefit to thisdesignistheabilitytoacquirewaterduringemergencies.Eventanksplacedonthegroundwillallowemergencyaccesstothewaterwithoutenergy,butataslowerrate.No energy is required to treat the water collected, because gravity is used to clean thewaterasitpipedintothetankasdescribedbelowintherainwaterfiltrationsection.

USAGEOneuseobserved in thisareawasaport-o-pottybusiness thatused the firehydrantsonAvonAve.tofilltheirtrucks.Eachtruckheld1500gallonsofwater.Thetruckswouldfilluponceperdayandthelocationhad5trucks.Iftheyfillup200daysperyearthewaterusewould total 1,500,000 gallons. They are no longer in the area, but it gives a quantity ofpotentialuse.TreesAtlantaisalsousingpotablewatertowatertheirplantingsonthewestside.Theyarecurrentlyusing5,120gallonsperweekfor24weekseachyearor122,880gallonsperyear.Asthebeltlineprogressesmorewaterwillbeneeded.GibbsLandscapingis currently watering downtown plantings for the Central Atlanta Progress. They useapproximately 11,000 gallons each month from April through September. Which istransportedfromtheirfacilityinSmyrna.

7 Price based on information supplied by Hannah Solar

Volts Amps kW Hours kWh KWSystem Cost/KW Total ROI230.0 30.0 6.9 774 5,340.6 3.5 $4.50 $15,750.00 26.81

PVCalculation

Volts Amps kW Hours kWh Price/kWh Total YearlyRevenue %ofUse230.0 30.0 6.9 774 5,340.6 $0.11 $587.47 $23,211.76 2.53%

ElectricityConsumption

8 | P a g e

WaterBalance

SITEThissiteisdesignedtocollectandstore175,000gallonsofwater,whichistheamountofwater thatwillbeproduced from3 inchesof rain.Two50,000-gallon tankswill fillwith1.75 inchesof rain,whichwill capturea2-year stormeventwhenempty.A submersiblepumplocatedintheundergroundtankswillfilltheelevatedtankasneeded.

Thewaterwill flow to two fire hydrants paintedblue on Avon Ave andwill allow 24-hour accessfor filling mobile tanks. Meters provided by thecity to the customer requiring a deposit and areattached to the rain hydrants to measure thewater use. The customers turn in their usemonthlyandarethenbilledaccordingly.

CATCHMENT AREA Therainwaterwillbecollectedoff the fronthalfof thebuilding at 1150 Murphy Ave. The roof area used forcollection is 103,250 sq. ft. This will produceapproximately56,787gallonsofwaterper1inchofrain(gpi)

MonthlyAveragesofRainwaterMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total

1981-201030yravg" 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

TreesAtlanta 20,480 20,480 20,480 20,480 20,480 20,480 20,480 20,480 163,840

GibbsLandscaping 11,000 11,000 11,000 11,000 11,000 11,000 66,000

PortOPotty 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 112,500 1,350,000

TotalWaterNeeded 112,500 112,500 132,980 143,980 143,980 143,980 143,980 143,980 143,980 132,980 112,500 112,500 1,579,840WaterCollected 238,508 265,198 273,148 190,806 207,842 224,311 299,270 221,471 253,840 193,645 232,829 221,471 2,822,339

Thecollectionareaof103,250willproduceapproximately56,787gallonsper1"ofrain

0"

50,000"

100,000"

150,000"

200,000"

250,000"

300,000"

Jan" Feb" Mar" Apr" May" June" July" Aug" Sept" Oct" Nov" Dec"

Trees"Atlanta"

Gibbs"Landscaping"

Port"O"PoEy"

Total"Water"Needed"

Water"Collected""

9 | P a g e

RAINWATERFILTRATIONRainwater is very clean before and after it lands on the roof if collected properly. Toprovidecleanrainwater thesurfaceof theroofmustbecleaned.This isaccomplishedbyfiltering thewater first through a roofwasher (fine stainless steel screen) placed at thebottomofeachof the fourexistingdownspouts toremovetheparticulates.Therewillbefourdifferent stylesof roofwashers installed toevaluatehow theyperformandeducatetheinspectors.(SeeAppendix.)Theinspectorswillhaveachancetolearnhowthedifferenttypesofproductswork.Suggestedmanufacturersare3PTechnic,Graf, IntewaandWisy.Alloftheseproductshavebeendesignedforcommercialuseandhavebeeninproductionyears.

Thenextstepistodivertthefirst2%ofthewaterontherooftoafirstflushdevicethatwillbeburiedintheground.Thiswill divert the roof contaminants in thewater from the tank. When the pipes are filled thedevice closes and clean water will go into theundergroundtanks.Thecontaminantswilldrainfromthe first flush device into the swales along thedriveway.

Thewaterthenentersthetankthroughacalminginletsonottostiranysedimentsettledonthebottomofthetank.Thewaterisfilteredthroughanotherfinestainlesssteelscreenattachedtoafloatingfilterwhenpumpedtotheelevatedtank.Thefiltercollectsthewater6-8inchesbelowthesurface.Thisisthecleanestandmostoxygenatedwater.Ifthissimpledesignisfollowedthewaterinthetanksshouldbepotable.Nootherfiltrationisneeded.

TANKSThe underground tankswill bemade from fiberglass.Thereasonforchoosingfiberglasstanksistheylastfor50 years ormore, can be cleaned and repaired. Theycanalsobemanufacturedforpotablewater.

EVAPORATIONWater is storedmore efficiently in tanks then in lakes, traditional reservoirs, because ofevaporation.AccordingtoanAJCarticleSunDrains.2InchofWaterDailyfromLanierbySatavySheltonPublishedon06/19/08193.9milliongallonsofwater evaporated from the lake, themainwater source formorethan3million inmetroAtlanta.Bycomparison,GwinnettCountywithdrewanaverageof74.2 million gallons a day from the lake in May, or less than half the amount that'sdisappearinginthesun'srays.

10 | P a g e

ThesearetheresultsofanevaporationtestIamrunningcomparinganopenbowlofwater(reservoir) to a bottle of water (cistern) with a loose cap. The loose cap simulates arainwatersystem,whichonlyhasaventingsystemconnectingittotheenvironment.Thegreenbottled contained32ozofwaterandonly lost2ozover the same timeperiod.Thenextyearthecapislooserandlost1oz.

STORMWATERMANAGEMENTGroundwater loss in Atlanta has been going onfor decades. Tree loss in the Atlantametro areafrom1974to1996resultedina33%increaseinstormwaterrunoff (fromeach2-yearpeakstormevent). This translates into an estimated4,420,987,013gallonsaccordingtodatafromthePavingOurWaytoWaterShortages:HowSprawl

EvaporationTest01/27/131pm32oz02/28/136am32oz03/16/131am32oz04/05/135pm32oz04/20/138am32oz05/10/136am32oz05/29/139am32oz06/21/138am32oz07/16/137pm32oz08/9/1312pm32oz08/28/137pm32oz09/11/137pm32oz09/23/139pm32oz10/05/138am32oz10/16/138am32oz11/04/138am32oz11/19/138am32oz12/26/139am32oz01/31/138am32ozTotal4.75gallonsGreenBottle30oz

EvaporationTest02/01/1410am32oz02/26/1412pm32oz03/15/148pm32oz04/01/148am32oz04/10/1410pm32oz04/24/148am32oz05/07/148am32oz05/31/148am32oz07/15/146pm32oz06/28/148am32oz07/11/148am32oz07/29/148pm32oz08/14/146pm32oz08/28/146pm32oz09/19/149am32oz10/05/146pm32oz10/27/149am32oz11/21/148am32oz12/17/148am32oz01/30/159am32ozTotal5.0gallonsGreenBottle31oz

11 | P a g e

Aggravates the Effects of Drought8 Atlanta sites land development from1982-1997increasedby81%.InAtlanta, forexample,themodelshowsthatbetween56.9and132.8billiongallonsofgroundwaterinfiltrationmayhavebeenlostcomparedto15yearsearlier.Thecityhasrecentlydevelopedgreeninfrastructurepracticestooffsetwaterrunoffwithlanddisturbingpractices.Theamountofimpervioussurfaceonthispropertyallowsfortheopportunitytotestandteachstormwaterpractices.Rainwaterharvestingcanalsocontrolstormwaterrunoff.Thiscanbeaccomplishedthroughthereleaseofwaterfromthetankafewdaysafterastormeventtoreducefloodingduringlargestormevents.TheMurphyAvetankandpropertycanbeusedasaresearchfacilitytolearnmoreaboutthispractice.

MAINTENANCEMaintenancewillberequiredforthefiltersandthetanks.Therearefourroof filtersthatremove the debris from the roof. They should be checked quarterly alongwith the firstflush. The design in all four of the filters includes a self-cleaning feature, which keepsmaintenancetimetoaminimum.Suggestedfrequencyforcleaningisquarterly,butduringthe firstyear inspectionsshouldbemadeafterrainevents tomonitor theenvironmentalinfluences.Theundergroundtankswillneedlittlemaintenance,becausethewaterenteringthetankwill be filtered by the system to eliminate contaminants. Therefore only quarterlyinspections are necessary to make sure the components are working properly. A smallamountofsedimentwillsettleonthebottom,butwillnotaffectthequalityofthewater.Theelevatedtankneedsregularmaintenanceandcanbeservicedthroughamaintenanceprogram.Theprogramwillcostapproximately$8,200.00peryear.

INCONCLUSIONBy managing rainwater and stormwater efficiently there will be plenty of water forgenerations. Expanding the reservoir system with the cost of land, new infrastructure,energy use, environmental issues and the loss due to evaporation seems inefficient. Adecentralizedsystemcanbeimplementedwithinyearsinsteadofthedecadesittakestocomplete a reservoir. The leasing segment of the proposal could start helping the urbanfarm movement providing water for the gardens needing water. The system willcomplementthecentralizedsystemandbeamoreprofitablerevenuestream.

8 PavingOurWaytoWaterShortages:HowSprawlAggravatestheEffectsofDroughtby:BetsyOtto,KatherineRansel,andJasonTodd,AmericanRivers,DeronLovaasandHannahStutzman,NaturalResourcesDefenseCouncil,JohnBailey,SmartGrowthAmerica

12 | P a g e

SITEPLAN

13 | P a g e

COMPONENTS

FirstFlushFilter

WisyFilterGrafFilter3PTechnikFilter

IntewaFilter FlowInducerPump

14 | P a g e

PROPOSAL

Department of Watershed Date 1/5/13City of Atlanta PROJECT TITLE: Water Tanks55 Trinity Ave PROJECT ADDRESS: 1150 Murphy AveAtlanta, GA 30303 Atlanta, GA 30310WORK: Phone PROPOSAL NUMBER:

Description Quantity Unit Price CostIntewa Filter 1 $4,500.00 $4,500.00

3P VP6 Filters w/Culvert 1 $4,000.00 $4,000.00

Wisy 300 Filter 1 $7,000.00 $7,000.00

Graf Optimax Industrial Filter w/sprayer 2 $1,300.00 $2,600.00

First Flush 12” 4 $80.00 $320.00

50,000 Gallon10' Single Wall FRP Tank MTO 2 $86,679.00 $173,358.00

Refurbish 75,000 Gallon Elevated water Tank 1 $250,000.00 $250,000.00

Aquatel D110 Multi-Tank wireless fluid level monitor 1 $400.00 $400.00

RainMaster Flow Induction Kits FI-6000 1 $4,800.00 $4,800.00

M107-BT system 1 $815.00 $815.00

Giant Overflow Siphon DN200 4 $300.00 $1,200.00

Giant Calmed Inlet DN 200 4 $350.00 $1,400.00

Excavation for 12” Pipe 1 $3,500.00 $3,500.00

Excavation for 10” Pipe 1 $2,500.00 $2,500.00

Excavation for 2” Pipe 1 $200.00 $200.00

Excavation for Tank 2 $7,500.00 $15,000.00

Fire Hydrants (2 hydrants w/450’ of 6” pipe installed) 1 $50,000.00 $50,000.00

PVC 1 $16,630.00 $16,630.00

Engineer 1 $11,000.00 $11,000.00

PV System 1 $18,000.00 $18,000.00

Raingarden sq ft 13,000 $10.00 $130,000.00

FF Swale 350 $20.00 $7,000.00

Labor $35,211.15

Sub TotalSub TotalSub Total $739,434.15

MarginMarginMargin $110,915.12

TotalTotalTotal $850,349.27

Proposal

Steve Williamstherainsaver@icloud.com

1015 Arden Ave. Atlanta, GA 30310 404-234-1358