In Syracuse New York, Syracuse University received a $1.35 million state grant to install a rainwater collection system for the Carrier Dome. The 7 acre fabric roof will collect 6.6 million gallons of water from the approximately 880,000 that pours off the Dome roof every year.
The water will run off the roof material and be stored in tanks at the bottom of the bleachers. The retained water will be used during events to flush toilets in the 16 public bathrooms. The water will be dyed to prevent confusion between toilet water and drinking water.
The Gutter is Wide Enough To Hold a Car
The water runoff roof system includes a gutter that runs the entire edge of the bottom of the roof. The gutter is heated in the winter to prevent ice buildup and is approximately 10 feet wide.
The water is held in 4 tanks that hold 5,000 gallons of rainwater each. The tanks at Carrier Dome will hold enough water to flush the toilets and urinals during two major sporting events.
The State Environmental Facilities Corp. grant will pay for most of the rainwater collection system to include the tanks, pipes, filtration and chlorination system. Syracuse University will cover the remaining cost of the $1.5 million project.
The university wants the public to notice the water harvesting system to demonstrate how such systems can conserve municipal water supplies while reducing the amount of rainwater into an overloaded wastewater treatment system.
Bruce Wanlass, principle engineer for C&S Engineers came up with the idea for the system while we was attending a basketball game with his 7 year old son.
