One of many exciting accomplishments in 2018 was our installation of a 2,700 Gallon Cistern for Rainwater Collection! Read all about it below:
[envira-gallery id=”4660″]After six years of partnering with the Georgia Coastal Management Program to teach coastal homeowners how to build their own rain barrels, the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR) now has its own supersized rain barrel (a.k.a., cistern) collecting rainwater on Sapelo. Located at the Long Tabby Complex, home of SINERR operations on the island, the 2700-gallon cistern is a working monument to water conservation. A new gutter installed on one of the outbuildings routes rainwater to the cistern, which may collect as much as 35,000 gallons annually. The non-potable water will be used to maintain SINERR’s and GA DNR’s vehicle fleets on Sapelo, and to occasionally water new native plant landscaping around Long Tabby.
Because of the successful Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop series, SINERR received one of six large cisterns donated by the Bioconversion Technologies Company of Elijah, Georgia, to DNR’s Coastal Management Program. Designed to harvest and store rainwater delivered through a system of gutters and pipes, large cisterns are an integral part of modern water conservation for businesses and industry. SINERR plans to use the system to educate the public about the importance of water conservation and the practicality of installing similar systems. The cistern site will serve as a demonstration project, showing home and business owners what they can do to participate in water conservation and stormwater management efforts, while saving energy and money at the same time. Interpretive signs posted at the site will describe the water-harvesting system and its multiple benefits and encourage property owners to follow suit.
As with all SINERR projects, partnerships were key to success. GA DNR personnel helped deliver the giant rain barrel to Sapelo and build the small gravel pad it rests on. Coastal Management Program and Georgia Sea Grant/Marine Extension Service staff helped SINERR complete the initial installation, including the water pump and solar panels. Friends of Sapelo volunteers installed the gutters and painted the cistern with a beautiful coastal scene.
Whether the project succeeds in inspiring people to install rainwater collection systems at their own homes or businesses remains to be seen. However, SINERR is proud to show both local residents and Sapelo Island visitors that this type of project is a practical and financially savvy choice to make, and to help guide people toward the resources they need to make it happen where they live or work.
One of many exciting accomplishments in 2018 was our installation of a 2,700 Gallon Cistern for Rainwater Collection! Read all about it below:
After six years of partnering with the Georgia Coastal Management Program to teach coastal homeowners how to build their own rain barrels, the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR) now has its own supersized rain barrel (a.k.a., cistern) collecting rainwater on Sapelo. Located at the Long Tabby Complex, home of SINERR operations on the island, the 2700-gallon cistern is a working monument to water conservation. A new gutter installed on one of the outbuildings routes rainwater to the cistern, which may collect as much as 35,000 gallons annually. The non-potable water will be used to maintain SINERR’s and GA DNR’s vehicle fleets on Sapelo, and to occasionally water new native plant landscaping around Long Tabby.
Because of the successful Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop series, SINERR received one of six large cisterns donated by the Bioconversion Technologies Company of Elijah, Georgia, to DNR’s Coastal Management Program. Designed to harvest and store rainwater delivered through a system of gutters and pipes, large cisterns are an integral part of modern water conservation for businesses and industry. SINERR plans to use the system to educate the public about the importance of water conservation and the practicality of installing similar systems. The cistern site will serve as a demonstration project, showing home and business owners what they can do to participate in water conservation and stormwater management efforts, while saving energy and money at the same time. Interpretive signs posted at the site will describe the water-harvesting system and its multiple benefits and encourage property owners to follow suit.
Excitingly, the cistern is not only saving water, it’s doing so without adding to DNR’s power bill. The water pump attached to the cistern runs on power generated by a solar panel that was recycled from an atmospheric deposition monitoring station that was discontinued in 2017. Thus, using the cistern will not add a new energy load to operations on Sapelo, and the cistern will remain functional even in the event of a power outage on the island.
As with all SINERR projects, partnerships were key to success. GA DNR personnel helped deliver the giant rain barrel to Sapelo and build the small gravel pad it rests on. Coastal Management Program and Georgia Sea Grant/Marine Extension Service staff helped SINERR complete the initial installation, including the water pump and solar panels. Friends of Sapelo volunteers installed the gutters and painted the cistern with a beautiful coastal scene.
Whether the project succeeds in inspiring people to install rainwater collection systems at their own homes or businesses remains to be seen. However, SINERR is proud to show both local residents and Sapelo Island visitors that this type of project is a practical and financially savvy choice to make, and to help guide people toward the resources they need to make it happen where they live or work.