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Fresh Water...our
most important
natural resource.
Whether for drinking,
irrigating, gardening, bathing, washing or cleaning,
our need for fresh water in our daily lives is unquenchable.
Ocean Caraibes can help you capture and sustain fresh water
beyond in a variety of efficient ways.
Collection Methods & Storage
Rooftop
Perhaps the oldest method of harvesting fresh
rain water is utilizing the broad, sloped surface of any
roof (the collector). When it rains, water falls on the
roof, runs down to a gutter channel placed directly
under the bottom edge (eave) of the roof. Subsequently, the
water then runs to pipe that carries it to a storage
catchment... a barrel, tank, cistern, pond -- anything
suitable for retention.
For example,
a pitched roof area measuring 40 ft x 48 ft potentially can
collect 400 gallons a day during a light rain or 1500
gallons in a few hours (or less) during moderate rainfalls
and much much more during heavy rainfall periods. A
rule of thumb calculation for square footage per amount
collected is about 400 gallons of water per 1 inch of
rainfall.
Pervious
pavement / porous pavement
Pervious pavement / porous pavement consists
of a permeable surface course underlain by a
uniformly-graded stone bed. Rainwater drains through the
surface, is temporarily held in the empty spaces of the
stone bed. It then drains into the underlying soil
mantle or is controlled by strategically placed channels
where it drains into a cistern, pond or other suitable
storage.
There are three types of permeable pavements:
1.
Plastic pavers - A plastic honeycomb grid in which
grass or other
vegetation can grow
2.
Concrete pavers - Concrete blocks with spaces in
between them
for
better drainage
3.
Asphalt/concrete
- Fine particles are left out of it to make it
more
porous.
Catchment
Ponds and Reservoirs
Storage Pond
- given the availability of basically flat or gentle sloping
land... at a reasonable cost this option merits
consideration. Simple in design, a pond, created by removing
earth to make basin, and or the placement of an earthen or
concrete dam, is placed at a strategic location along
a natural slope or drainage area. When it rains,
water, channeled by the natural terrain slope and or
terraces, empties into the pond.
Catchment Reservoirs
- generally require more land than a water
storage pond. However, catchment systems can be designed /
constructed on the sides of a mountains, cliffs and
hillsides which are not suitable for farming or commercial
development. Consequently, land cost is usually
less
than for that of a storage pond. The main advantage of
a water catchment reservoir system is that it is low tech,
requires almost no maintenance and is very cost efficient.
This method keeps it as simple as possible!
Reverse
Osmosis water system
(RO System)
Turning
salt water into fresh water is dependant upon salt water
being forced to move from a stronger saline solution to a
weaker solution via through a semi-permeable membrane.
Please
inquire for more information about any of these processes
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