“In the Virgin Islands more than 90% of the population utilize rainwater harvesting.”
Rainwater harvesting involves collecting rain from rooftops and storing it in cisterns, usually built into the house foundation. During times of heavy rainfall the cisterns may overflow and run-off. On the other hand, in times of low water levels residents may need to purchase water from private vendors, which can be costly and difficult for those living in hard to reach areas.
While the Virgin Islands building codes require households to have a cistern (if not connected to a public water supply), there is little research regarding the following:
The catchment efficiency based on roof type
The water harvesting potential
The proper sizing of cisterns
Investigate Three Roof Types
Wood
Sheet metal
Sheet metal with Solar PV panels
Project Objectives and Methods
Build rainwater roof harvesting systems for three different roof types.
Estimate runoff coefficient for each roof type by measuring the amount of water collected using a pressure transducer and weather data from a nearby station
Obtain house inventory; historical climate data; and interview water delivery vendors
Build computational model to compute rainwater harvesting potential and water supply and demand for households using current and historical trends.
Work with UVI Physics faculty to integrate project into coursework.
Prepare project outreach material for community.
Not all water on island is stored in cisterns.The rainwater on UVI’s St. Thomas campus is stored naturally underground in an aquifer. This water is then pumped up campus, filtered and uses a gravity distribution system to supply all the buildings with clean, fresh water to use and drink.
Last Updated: October 2019