Rainwater Harvesting for Campus Student Center: A Sustainable, Community-Orientated Senior Design Project

Abstract

A team of three mechanical engineering senior undergraduate students and one faculty member designed and installed a rainwater harvesting system in the University’s student center.  After an extensive analysis of the piping system, the team was able to use existing rain leaders and piping to move all the rainwater from the third floor patio to a mechanical room located on the first level of the building.  In the mechanical room, the piping system was redesigned to route the collected water into a large storage tank.  From the tank, the rainwater was pumped into the irrigation line and used to water a large portion of the campus lawns and greenery. In addition, the system incorporated an overflow feature, a drainage line, a new pump, a flow meter to track water usage (which was previously never tracked at the University), a design where regular flushing of the system is automatic, and a maintenance plan.  The harvested rainwater could also potentially be used to fill up the University watering trucks to water the flowers, shrubs, and greenery that covers the 200-acre campus.  Students found that this community-based project opened their eyes to sustainability, the environment, and was rewarding work.