BOSTON, MA, Aug. 2, 2011 -- A new water reclamation system at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, will reuse rainwater from the roof of the university's new LEED-certified sports center to reduce the building's water footprint.
The greywater system will be designed and delivered by Practical Applications Inc. (PAI), a leading environmental engineering company. The system collects 50,000 gallons of rainwater from the roof in a main reservoir. It then pumps the rainwater via one of two feed pumps through a Spears inlet suction strainer to remove large particulate matter such as roofing material and leaves. The strained water is then pumped through the Micro-Z inline multimedia filter which removes most of the suspended solids.
The filtered greywater will be used in WPI's cooling towers. According to PAI, the system will reduce the building's water consumption by more than 800,000 gallons per year.
The Model 1860 Greywater System, the company said, has a return on investment that has a payback of less than two years.
Janice Markey, executive vice-president of PAI, said, "The cost of water has gotten to the point where it makes sense to build these things now. Fifteen years ago it didn't, but the cost is catching up to the environmental needs. It's great because now businesses like WPI can be environmentally sensible and save their companies money."
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