Abstract

Rainwater catchment has been a common practice in many areas of the world for hundreds of thousands of years. This practice remains prominent in our modern age, and can prove useful when dealing with an unreliable infrastructure. During Helene, damage to the main water transmission lines caused high turbidity in the North Fork Reservoir, leaving over 70% of Asheville residents without potable water for 53 days. Simple rainwater catchment and filtration systems can provide immediate access to potable water for small residential communities, without the need for power in emergency situations. For this project, a design for a simple rainwater harvesting and filtration system was developed using Autodesk Fusion 360 modeling software, incorporating 275-gallon water totes that were distributed during Hurricane Helene relief efforts and subsequently abandoned. Two prototype systems were built at UNC Asheville’s STEAM studio and installed in two communities. One utilizing the roof of a community member's mobile home and the other installed at a Swannanoa community center. Both systems use preexisting gutter systems to collect surface water, as well as an initial filtration system for large particulate matter, before being deposited into a covered recycled tote to prevent algae growth and a raised foundation for accessibility. A second filtration system for potable water is integrated separately and only used when necessary. Both systems are undergoing testing for potability and irrigation purposes. All parts of the system can be purchased from a hardware store, and STL files for 3-D printers will be available. Once testing is complete and improvements have been made to the prototype's design, a building manual with care instructions will be provided for additional communities.

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