Example of a school with a rainwater
catchment system. The water storage tank is
on the left side.
Capture and Learn
by Doug Pushard
One day rainwater systems will be a standard
feature of building construction just like
indoor plumbing. It begins with relearning
what is necessary and normal. We no longer
allow buildings without indoor plumbing and
in the future it will be the same for
rainwater systems.
Today, many schools ranging from
kindergarten to college are installing
rainwater harvesting systems. These systems
are designed to capture rain water from the
roofs and then store the water for future
use. This is happening in our local Santa
Fe Public Schools - a great place for
rainwater systems.
Schools have large capture areas (i.e. large
roof areas and parking lots) that make
rainwater harvesting the envy of rainwater
harvesters, plus there is a big need for
irrigation water for landscape areas such as
athletic fields, play areas and gardens.
Local schools featuring rainwater systems
include Santa Fe High and Salazar Elementary
with 50,000 gallons of storage each, Atalaya
Elementary with 25,000 gallons of storage as
well as smaller systems at Amy Biehl
Elementary (4 – 1,400 gallon tanks), and
Tesuque Elementary (2 - 360 gallon tanks).
The rainwater at these schools is conveyed
off the roofs and other areas, filtered
(i.e. often called pre-filtered as this
first set of filters only removes the large
debris) and then stored in either above or
below-ground tanks. When the water is used
for irrigating landscapes and gardens a pump
is engaged, it is filtered again (i.e. small
200 micron filter to prevent clogging of
irrigation heads) and sent to the hose or
irrigation system. Thus rain water replaces
potable water on these landscapes reducing
operating costs.
These rainwater harvesting systems reduce
potable water use, decrease ongoing
operating costs for our schools and prevent
storm run-off that would negatively impact
our environment. Another benefit of these
systems is education. At Amy Biehl and
Tesuque Elementary Schools the above ground
tanks are a very visual reminder of the
value of rain. At Santa Fe High, Salazar
Elementary and Atalaya Elementary with
below-ground tanks real-time monitoring
systems have been installed that will enable
students and faculty to view water storage
and use. At the newest system at Atalaya
Elementary the data will be available to
students as well as the general public.
The intent of these tracking systems is to
know how much water is being saved. Per
Lisa Randall, Energy and Water Conservation
Program Coordinator for the Santa Fe Public
Schools, “We are now actively monitoring our
water use and consistently finding new ways
to reduce our potable water use. Saving
water reduces our operational costs, sets a
great educational example and is good for
the environment - a win, win, win!”
>From 2011 – 2014, the Santa Fe Public
School District has reduced their water use
by 43 percent, a reduction of over
20,000,000 gallons a year! This savings,
about a 1 gallon per capita per day
reduction for the Santa Fe area, has been
the result of an active water management
program that includes rainwater harvesting.
For more information on what conservation
efforts are occurring at our public schools,
visit
www.sfps.info/index.aspx?NID=1650 .
Our schools, teachers and school staff
heavily influence our future. They create
an environment for learning and awareness,
and influence how future generations will
behave. Schools are anchors in our
community. These facilities typically have
very large footprints and therefore are
great rainwater and solar harvesting
opportunities. It is highly appropriate
they serve as a role model for the community
of what the future will look like.
Conserving precious water is a job that
belongs to all of us. The Santa Fe Public
School District is doing its part to move us
forward.