2nd International Conference on Rain Water Cistern Systems
St Thomas, Virgin Islands - June, 1984

Section D: Incidental Rainwater Harvesting

Paper D.2

Stormwater Collection And Wastewater Reuse As A Cooling Water Source At The Kennedy Space Center, Florida

David S. Dwornik James P. Heaney, Hen Koopman & David R. Saliwanchik
University of Florida USA

Abstract

Water conservation concerns on the part of NASA officials at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida prompted the investigation of recycling practices and use of alternative water resources. Quantification of water se patterns at the Center revealed that approximately two-thirds the average water consumption of .600 mgd is used as makeup water in air conditioning cooling towers. Indoor and personal use accounts for roughly one third, while less than 1% is used - for irrigation. The feasibility of decreasing the quantity of fresh water that is currently supplied to these cooling towers by substituting instead the combined flows from wastewater effluent and captured stormwater was subsequently examined. Roof tops and parking lot areas serve as the rainwater collection sites, and given the climate for this region, the water collected from these areas, in conjunction with the wastewater effluent, can satisfy as much as 100% of the cooling water requirement. A statistical technique based on rainfall event characteristics is employed to generate favorable combinations of basin volume, drawdown rate, and drawdown reliability. Then detailed cost information is included to examine the economic feasibility of this alternative. Such a method may be particularly applicable to tropical islands, where fresh water resources are limited and cooling water requirements are significant.

PDF of full document available to members (24pp, 410kb)