Our storm water catchment project achieved the following goals

– investigated the topography and water flow at the farm

– researched potential contaminants that can pollute the water in the area and make it harmful for irrigation

– researched potential filter options to eliminate these toxins

– designed a system of collecting, filtering and storing storm water

– performed costing analysis and multi-criteria decision matrix to choose the best option within our findings that achieve the constraints of the water system design.

Three days before we expected to finish the project, however, we received an email from our client mentioning an extra task of the project that we had not considered. This aspect is the pumping system to transport water from the tank to irrigate the entire farm. We were able to research and add this into our project successfully before our pre-determined deadline.

Through the project, we did not have a lot of interaction with the community as we had expected. The majority of the project is based on research and design, with all the topography information found online. In addition, since our project is only the planning stage and not the construction stage, we are not able to feel directly the impacts of this project on the UBC Farm community. However, we hope that, should this project be implemented in the future, UBC Farm and the surrounding community will be able to save water and appreciate the efforts of creating more sustainable water solutions in practice. We hope that we have contributed to the works of many other on-campus organizations (such as UBC Sustainability) to promoting a movement of thinking and acting greener and environmentally responsible.

This project helped us learn the importance of project timing and organization, especially in the event of a last minute emergency, and communication between team members. We communicated particularly well through the use of facebook, dropbox and google docs, all of which were utilized in passing information to members who missed a group meeting, and allowed us to share information effectively and instantly. We learnt the more about our project’s context and understand our client’s need for a system that allows them to save irrigation water, especially given the sustainable goals of UBC Farm. We also planned our project in a logical and realistic way (given the amount of work we have in other courses) and was able to accommodate changes.

Our completed poster.

At this time our project is well under way and we have researched a good amount of information to complete the project. A break down of tasks and timeline is below.

During our visit to the UBC Farm on February 1st, we observed the surroundings and made notes on the potential sources of contaminants, such as the village, the construction, the soil in the area surrounding the farm. We kept this in mind while doing research on possible contaminants in the water.

The research on topography, contaminants and filtration are mostly completed. More research and brainstorm on storage options and possible irrigation methods is needed. We also need to consolidate ideas on the advantages and disadvantages of storage options and decide on an optimal solution. We have also a rough design of the poster.

At the end of this project, we will have a detailed design of the water catchment, filtration and storage system.The goal of this project is to design a stormwater collection system for the UBC Farm. We will do this by looking at the various aspects of a collection system including:
1) The flow of water from the surounding area.
2) Possible contaminants in the water.
3) Methods for catching and collecting stormwater.
4) Methods to filter the water for irrigation use.
5) Storage options.

Our project can be broken down into three major steps:

– Step 1: Analyze topography, geography and social context of the farm as well as its water need.

– Step 2: Research on different water catchment, filtration and storage methods.

– Step 3: Design a water catchment system.

Our group has done some brainstorming for the project on step 3 and come up with some ideas. Since there needs to be more research on the water filtration techniques and the geographical topography of the farm, these ideas are only preliminary and are subject to change vastly throughout the first 2 steps of the project.

The first idea is to place a water catchment system and tank near and beneath the new Farm center building (anticipated to be built in 2015). The position of the building, however, is at a high elevation compared to every other point on the farm, so the volume of the water that flows into this system may be limited.

The second idea is to place a combination of drainage pipes, barrels/tanks near the bottom of the slope of the farm where historically, natural water has been collected a lot, to the point that the ground is flooded. The specific details of this system need to be analyzed, but the position promises a large volume of water. The flooding problem may also be alleviated. However, if successful, the water at the bottom of the hill will then have to be transported uphill during the summer or irrigation.

The third idea is to place pipes or catchment surfaces along the entire slope of the farm to maximize the volume of water captured. The water can then be transported to a storage tanks  in specific locations, resembling “nodes” of water. The idea is to create a far-reaching system of water that collects water at different locations so irrigation is more convenient. However, this means at each collection station there needs to be a filtration method, if needed.

These ideas are chosen based on the techniques of analyzing fluid dynamics, brief observation of the geographical context of the farm and by collecting ideas from past experiences. First we considered the slope of the field and observation of the puddles of water formed at the end of the hill to conclude water flow direction. Then we brainstormed different ideas based on the following criteria:

– maximize captured water volume

– minimize irrigation energy (energy required to transport water from storage unit to the field)

– feasibility of filtration

Considering the 3 major steps of the project, a brief timeline is formed below.

– 1^st March: Complete step 1 (analyze documents provided by the UBC farm on geography and water need, contact neighbourhood residents and affiliations, collect water sample.)

– 8^th March: Complete research on water catchment systems and water filtration options.

– 22^nd March: Finalize recommended design for the catchment system.

Situated on First Nation (Musqueam) land (UBC Endowment land), the UBC Farm is partly supported and subsidized by UBC. Apart from growing local food, it strives to be a green space used for academic purposes by researching and teaching more sustainable methods of agriculture. The farm also focuses on developing a sense of community within the university area.

Each summer, the farm has to buy a lot of water from the city of Vancouver for irrigation purposes. If rain/storm water during the fall and winter can be collected and stored for the summer, the cost of summer irrigation will be greatly reduced and it will be a more sustainable alternative for the dry season.

This project’s goal is to investigate the water flow into the farm from Wesbrook Village and neighbouring construction. We will investigate the possible chemical contents of the water and decide whether it is suitable for the UBC Farm. The scope of the project will mainly be focused on consulting the Farm on what methods are available to collect, filter and store water. Economic, social and ecological feasibility of these methods will also be explored and considered to find out the best solution.

There are a few constraints related to our project. First, the weather directly affects the amount of water collected, and the amount of water the UBC farm will need to buy. The weather also consists of temperature which also effects evaporation rates which dictates the amount water available. Second, the construction and residential zones may affect the quality and flow of water. Third, the topography also cannot be changed. Fourth, since UBC Farm is a non-profit organization, budget is also a constraint. Everything else in negotiable. There are plans of building a new farm center, and there is a possibility that a water storage system be integrated into this new building.

To complete this project we will adopt the following strategies. First, we will contact appropriate people such as soil and hydraulic engineers, the University Neighbourhood Association, and people from Wesbrook Village to gain relevant information. Also, we will analyze topographic maps, and flow diagrams which will be provided by Veronik Campbell. Lastly, we will conduct a lot of research, then analyze data to recommend the best options.

As part of Civil Engineering 202 at UBC, our Community Based Learning Program (CBEL) is focused on delivering a water project for the Center of Sustainable Food Systems at the UBC Farm (our client). This project will investigate the main sources of water that flows into the UBC Farm land and the possible contaminants in the water. Afterwards, we will identify technologies that are available to remove these contaminants so the water is safe for irrigation at the farm. Then, we will consider some water storage options for the clean storm water and design conceptually a system of water storage, flow and use at the Farm. This project aims to make use of the storm water available naturally at the Farm and convert it into safe and usable water, emphasizing on the safe and sustainable improvements.

These improvements are particularly important at UBC Farm, whose 24 hectares of farm and forest land is dedicated to building a sustainable community and strong ecological support systems. Through academic research, learning, innovative collaboration with different faculties, community engagement and knowledge exchange, the Farm is a diverse and exciting environment for learning and practice of sustainability for people from different ages and backgrounds. We are proud to be working with UBC Farm in achieving their goals.

This project will benefit mostly the UBC Point Grey campus’s community, including residents who choose local produce available on campus. With clean and safe irrigation water, consumers will be provided with fresh produce, free of harmful chemicals. In the long term, the project will also benefit the city of Vancouver, because the more extensive use of storm water will decrease demand for filtered water provided by the city, and less energy is required to store and transport water to the UBC Farm from municipal filtration plants.

Our group consists of 6 members, all studying Civil Engineering at UBC, and mentored by Roein Manafi. From top right to bottom right: Farinaz Moayedi, Amy Do, Bryan Lui, Cameron Perkin and Paul Yan, as well as Agnes He (not photographed). Stay tuned on our blog for more updates about the progress of the project. We are open to any suggestions and feedback you may have so feel free to comment on our blog to help us with the project!