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Cistern installation planned for workshop

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By Jacob Mohr

Intern

Landscapers, homeowners, business owners, engineers and gardeners will have an opportunity to learn how to minimize runoff and maximize water resources. Friday, Sept. 26, stormwater experts from Wilmington Stormwater Services and local business Rainstorm Solutions will join the N.C. State Cooperative Extension in leading a workshop on water harvesting systems.

Sabrina Woofter, N.C. Cooperative Extension agent, said water harvesting systems are like rain barrels, but much bigger.

“A large cistern captures rainwater, usually from a rooftop, and collects it for reuse,” Woofter said during a Sept. 18 phone interview.   “The system cuts back on potable water being used, but it also captures rainwater before it reaches the stormwater system.”

Woofter said the workshop was designed to educate attendees about water harvesting systems and raise awareness about the issue of stormwater runoff in Wilmington.

“A lot of people assume water that hits the streets and goes down the drain is eventually cleaned, but it’s not,” Woofter said. “It goes straight into our water bodies, and that’s why we can’t eat the shellfish around here. That’s why we have beach advisories for bacterial levels. It’s all because of pollutants in stormwater.”

Those who attend the workshop will study the history of water reclamation, tour several existing water harvesting systems and assemble a 1,200-gallon system used in locations throughout North Carolina, including Wilmington Fire Department Station No. 9.

“We’re installing a system at the fire station next to the workshop,” Woofter said. “They’re going to install a pump and two yard hydrants [the firemen] can use to wash their trucks.”

The workshop will also include information about the latest water harvesting system design modifications intended to increase the stormwater management benefits of such systems.

“One of the innovative aspects of this system is a passive drawdown system,” Woofter said. “It’s basically a hole placed maybe [three-fourths] of the way up, so the cistern will be constantly leaking up to that point. That way, next time it rains, there’ll be room for the water to go. That way, no matter how much rain falls, the system is constantly beneficial.”

Woofter said she hopes the workshop will make an impression on attendees.

“We’re hoping they’ll leave with a better appreciation for stormwater management, and the knowledge they need to step up from rain barrels,” Woofter said.

The workshop will take place in the Azalea Room of the New Hanover County Executive Development Center at 1241 Military Cutoff Road. To register online, visit www.bae.ncsu.edu/stormwater For more information, contact Cathy Smith or Christina Shepard at
[email protected]

 

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