Design, Construction, and Operation of a Demonstration Rainwater Harvesting System for Greenhouse Irrigation at McGill University, Canada

Abstract

<jats:p>Increasing stress on urban water demand has led to the exploration of the potential of rainwater use and water recycling to promote sustainable water resources management. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) not only has the potential to reduce water demand but also contributes to other sustainable objectives, including reducing stormwater pollutant loads, reducing erosion, and inducing natural flow regimes by means of flood control, in urban streams. This research involved the design, construction, and field-testing of an RWH system used to irrigate greenhouses at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University in Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the RWH system was to collect rainwater from a roof area of ≈610 m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> (the Horticulture Services Building on the Macdonald Campus of McGill University) to meet the irrigation demands of the two Horticulture Research Center greenhouses on the campus (≈149 m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> each) from May to October. Over its two years of operation, it was found that the amount of rainwater collected did not only meet the peak irrigation demands of the greenhouses (which amounted to almost 700 gal of water per day), but that there was also enough water for the irrigation of the nearby student-run gardens. The harvested rainwater was clear and did not cause any harm to the plants. The major problem that was experienced during the operation of the RWH system was that of algae growth in one of the water collection tanks. This issue was resolved by covering the tank with metallic green wallpaper, thereby blocking most of the sunlight from entering the tank. The RWH system is currently being used for irrigation and as a demonstration project to promote the learning of sustainable technologies on campus and in the surrounding communities.</jats:p>

Technology Roadmapping Architecture Based on Knowledge Management: Case Study for Improved Indigenous Coffee Production from Guerrero, Mexico

“…The increase of flavonoid levels is directly related to the drought tolerance which can be measured by using sensors for monitoring plant physiology such as that presented by [40] where a transpiration of plants is measured by employing temperature, humidity, radiation, and flux sensors. As aforementioned, the water scarcity is now a problem; so, the rain water collected in greenhouses is an option to save water, and it has been successfully employed for growing vegetables [41]. The water collected can be used by irrigation systems in a controlled way based on measuring plant variables, soil variables, or thermal variables.…”

Adapting green roof irrigation practices for a sustainable future: A review

“…The green roof runoff also has an elevated amount of suspended solids and a higher 246 turbidity, which will decrease over time (Morgan et al, 2011). Besides being an irrigation 247 source, RWH helps to control floods and reduces erosion and stormwater pollution (Hardin et 248 al., 2012;Islam et al, 2013). There are many ways to harvest rainwater, including rainwater 249 tanks or cisterns, constructed wetlands and treatment trains (Coutts et al, 2012;Hardin et al, 250 2012).…”

Preliminary Design of a Low-cost Greenhouse with Open Source Control Systems

“…The plastic tank material reduces the time and money associated with installation, allows for easy internal access for cleaning, and is location independent [10]. The relatively small size range of the tank is important to ensure complete flushing of the water, which discourages the growth of bacteria and algal blooms that can compromise the integrity of drip lines and lead to crop disease [12].…”