Capturing, Filtering, and Conserving Water

Of course, in the Environmental Center, we try to conserve water.  We do this both through our behavior (think minimizing outdoor irrigation and using pond water when we can) and through design and building infrastructure.

Here are a few design pieces that help us minimize water use:

• Low flow faucet in bathroom: .375 gallons per minute (gpm)
• Low flow faucets in kitchen: 1.8 gpm
• Energy star commercial dishwasher: <1 gallon per cycle
• Composting Toilet: foam flush toilet, 3 oz. per flush

All on-site water is procured through rainwater capture. Water falling on the approximately 3,300 sq foot roof is captured through a gutter and downspout system and diverted through a first-flush filter system (Wisy Downspout and Vortex filters). The captured water is collected in a single underground 6,000 gallon cistern, which is made from precast concrete.

Water is pumped from this tank through a carbon filter into a water pressure storage tank in the building. From there, the water is filtered through a UV disinfection filter and a small micron filter before it comes out of the tap.

 

 

For more info about the building, visit the Env Center’s homepage and the menu of posts about other unique building features.