Background research:

 

Globally, overuse of water depletes groundwater reserves and aquifers, as well as putting strain on waterways which impacts aquatic species. When schools have to use water for irrigating plants it is contributing to this problem. Over use of water on an agricultural scale can lead to chemicals and harmful pesticides leaking into local water streams that you drink from and water your gardens. This could also apply to Brown and Jolly, where excess water that does not go directly down the drain from the roof will collect rubbish and pollutants from the playground which will then be washed down the stormwater drains. 

 

 

Harvesting rain water to store in tanks on the roof of the rainforest can reduce the amount of water we are wasting and the big old bill you pay for water, all this while having either a mechanical irrigation system or a manual tap to feed fresh clean water to the plants and trees the kids of living school are playing in.

 

A farm called milk-wood has utilised this gravity fed water irrigation before and have practically halved their water wastage, they have several water tanks that sit higher on their property that feeds water to the shed and house as well as the occasional tiny home.

 

 

Being able to harness nature to help reduce the water wastage by capturing rain water into water tanks that we can control the flow of as well as reducing the  amount of money we are spending on water to provide safe and fresh water to the students and teachers or the variety of vegetation that will be spread around the campus.

 

 

My project is working on halving the amount of wasted water and potential energy that we could harvest to help the school become fully eco friendly and energy neutral.

 

Aim and Hypothesis

Aim: To theoretically design, implement, and evaluate a gravity fed rain water system that is 

In place above the rain forest at Brown and Jolly.

Hypothesis: If we harvest rainwater in elevated roof tanks to irrigate the school rainforest, then the school’s water bills and water wastage will decrease because the stored gravitational potential energy of the water will transform into kinetic energy to push the water through the pipes without needing pumps.

 

Methodology and Safety

 

Operational sequence.

1. Install 10,000L tanks on reinforced structures near the rainforest area, ensuring that the water can fill the tanks via gravity. 

2. Next the system catches and stores rain water in water tanks on the roof 

3. Then students or teachers can turn the tap that allows a controlled flow of water through irrigation pipes that travel across the underside of the roof above the rainforest.

 

Safety

 

 

 

Data Processing and Estimations

 

Forces and Energy Science

Forces and Energy in Action

Gravity: write about how gravity is in action here

Friction: How is friction going to impact how water moves through the pipes? 

Energy Chain: How does the energy flow in this system? The water initially has gravitational potential energy →what kind as it moves through the pipes (movement)→ to what kind as it falls on the plants underneath

 

 

Engineering and Problem Solving

Identify where your system could potentially break down- as in water may not flow through the pipes well - how could you fix this problem? 

What about when there is no rain? Could there be a system that can be switched on for irrigation to draw from the mains when there is no stored water? 

Blocks in the pipes? Maybe mesh to capture waste before it enters the tank

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion, my design of using gravity fed irrigation would be beneficial because utilising rain water we capture from the roofs at Brown & Jolly can hopefully halve the water we waste and the amount we spend on water bills when we could  harvest the natural water to flow off into the river and over flow the streets.