Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Hoover Dam.  The Bureau of Reclamation completed the Hoover Dam in 1935 ahead of schedule and under budget.  Quite a feat for a project of this magnitude built during the Great Depression.  The dam rises 727 feet above the bedrock it is poured on, and creates a reservoir 110 miles in length and a holding capacity of 32,350,000 acre feet.  To provide a picture of how much water this is, imagine the state of Connecticut with 10 feet of water covering it.  The primary purpose of the project was flood control of the lower Colorado river.  In addition the Hoover Dam generates power that supplies millions of people in the southwest. 
    What I saw was an immense rainwater harvesting system!  The catchment area supporting the Colorado River includes seven states and collects the rain and snow melt in its watershed.  A roof is a catchment area and can be viewed as the watershed for your rainwater harvesting system.  A roof has slopes and valleys and sheds water into gutters and downspouts.  The Colorado River Watershed therefore catches rain and snow fall and then focuses the runoff down the slopes and canyons to the river.  The river, like a gutter, moves the water to the collection system.  The Hoover Dam created Lake Mead or the reservoir that collects and stores the water.  In a rainwater harvesting system the reservoir is created by an above or below ground tank.  One of the issues with all dam projects is the problem of silt.  The river carries silt which is deposited behind the dam and builds up over time.  Silt will reduce the storage capacity of the dam and limit its life.  A rainwater harvesting system can also capture organic solids that flow off your roof, but because the size and scale is so much smaller, excellent ways of filtering debris have been created to reduce or eliminate the debris from entering the rainwater harvesting tank.  It is very important to screen the debris from entering the tank for several reasons.  Organic material in a closed container can breakdown and significantly reduce the water quality over time.  Typically, when you want to use the water to irrigate your property, debris in the system may clog or ruin a pump or clog emitters in a drip line and therefore reduce irrigation performance.  In the case of dam projects there is no simple way to screen out silt or debris as there is in rainwater harvesting projects.  Another aspect of the Hoover Dam are the overflow spillways on each side that protect the reservoir from overflowing the dam itself.  When the water in Lake Mead rises to a certain level it begins to overflow and is released downstream.  Similarly in a rainwater harvesting system the tank fills and also flows through an overflow when it reaches its maximum capacity.  The overflow water can be sent into the yard and passively used in bioswales to infiltrate into the soil and improve its moisture content.  The Hoover Dam also uses four intake towers to direct water to the turbines at the bottom of the dam to generate power.  The water is then released back into the Colorado River and flows downstream.  A rainwater harvesting system also has one or more methods of distribution on the tank.  A spigot can be installed to allow the water to flow via gravity based on the pressure built up by the height of the water in the tank.  Or a pump can be installed to receive the water and pressurize it for a larger irrigation system or whole house water system.  Once the water is used either for non-potable or potable uses it can then be sent on passively into the soil or as gray water or black water and processed appropriately. 
    So, as I was standing on the new interstate bypass bridge being buffeted by 50 mph winds and taking pictures it also gave me pause to recognize the immensity of this project, what an engineering and construction marvel it is, and allowed me to compare how this project was similar in many ways to a rainwater harvesting system.  If you ever have the chance to visit the Hoover Dam, do it!  And if you have the chance to build a rainwater harvesting system I would be glad to help you design and install it!

     The "Urban Dictionary" defines "diamond in the rough" as "something that has hidden exceptional characteristics and/or future potential, but currently lacks the final touches that would make it truly stand out from the crowd."  Recently I had the opportunity to visit the MRWPCA and tour it's facilities and was amazed at the current operating capabilities of this waste water treatment plant.  The regional facility, located near Marina came on line in 1990 serving approximately 250,000 people on the Monterey Peninsula and in North County.  MRWPCA receives and treats 21 million gallons of waste water per day with capacity for 29.6 million gallons.  In 1998 the facility expanded with the opening of the Salinas Valley Reclamation Project (SVRP).  The SVRP provides recycled water to irrigate 12,000 acres of agricultural land used for growing artichokes, cauliflower, strawberries, broccoli, lettuce, and celery crops.  The SVRP was a significant project requiring large capital expenditures to develop the process and move the water from the treatment facility to the crops.   Additionally, the SVRP project significantly reduces ground water pumping required to support the 12,000 acres and allows the recycled water to help replenish the aquifer and significantly reduce seawater intrusion.  During the growing season virtually all of the recycled water is used for irrigating this acreage.  In the winter time when the land is dormant the recycled water is released into Monterey Bay, two miles offshore as it currently has no other purpose and can't be stored.  This begs the question; why aren't we using this water instead of releasing it and how much water is available?    The answer to the question is there are 2,700 acre feet of recycled water available.  The MRWPCA has been promoting the Groundwater Replenishment Project (GRP) to treat the water to potable standards and replenish the aquifers making up the Seaside Basin.  In fact, this is proven technology and used in many different parts of the state, country, and world.  Here, just like everywhere else we use potable water to take showers, wash dishes and clothes, and flush our toilets.  Potable water becomes grey water and black water and sent to the treatment facility where it can be returned to potable water standards.  The 2,700 acre feet of recycled water currently available can be further treated at a cost per acre foot less than an equivalent acre foot from a Desalination Plant.  The MRWPCA  can achieve those "final touches" that would make it truly stand out by being given the authority and financial backing required to bring this capacity on line and provide more than 25% of the 10,000 acre feet of new water sourcing we require.  Tell your county supervisors, local city councils, Cal Am, and the MPWMD that you want them to include the Groundwater Replenishment Project (GRP) from the MRWPCA as one of the resources to help resolve local water availability problems.  Water availability is becoming a larger problem locally and globally.  At the state level a study released in 2007 by the California Energy Commission stated the best single new supply of water available to support growth over the next 25 years is "water use efficiency".  In other words "we" have done a really good job of capturing the available water with major local, state, and federal water projects.  Water is a finite resource and rather than just releasing it into the ocean when we have finished with it, we should reuse it!  We have the technology and the examples are many.  Before I close, I want to tell you about a few more amazing things I learned at the MRWPCA.  The treatment process creates methane which is captured and used in a co-generation site capability that creates 7.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.  This supports the total requirements of the facility plus allows for excess to be sold into the electrical grid.  The facility also has a 1.1 gigawatt solar system that provides 60% of the power required to run the Salinas Valley Reclamation Project at a lower cost than grid supplied energy.  I urge all of you to call the MRWPCA and sign up for a monthly tour.  You will be amazed at what goes on and will be pleased that Monterey County has such a "diamond in the rough" waiting for its "final touches" to become a world class treatment facility!  For more information on the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency go to www.mrwpca.org .

     Capturing rainwater is also another great way to use available water more efficiently.  Currently most rainwater runs off your roof, into a storm drain, and out into a stream or river on its way to the ocean.  Capturing rainwater and using it, is using water more efficiently!  Rainwater is pure and drinkable if you can catch it before it hits your roof.  Once it comes in contact with your roof it can pick up unwanted sediment, bacteria, and/or virus.  Rainwater can be treated to non-potable or potable standards basically using the same capabilities used at the MRWPCA but on a residential scale.  The city of Atlanta recently created a rainwater harvesting ordinance allowing residences to create potable water, but other municipalities may not.  Locally our Garden Solutions Landscaping rainwater installations support non-potable irrigation requirements.  Call us today for a free consultation!

After spending a week in the Disney World Resorts near Orlando in early December, my wife asked me if I was going to buy something in the park to take home.  I'm not too big on buying stuff at theme parks, but towards the end of our stay I saw the Mickey Rain Gauge.  I had always wanted a rain gauge to see how much rain actually falls at our home in Monterey near Laguna Seca.  After sitting on his butt for the past 6 weeks Mickey finally got to show me his stuff the past two days.  Thursday night Mickey gathered about 1/4" of rain for the day.  Not a huge amount by most rainfall standards.  But on Friday night Mickey gathered 1.25" inches of rain.  He is certainly proving he has the ability to learn and improve his catchment techniques 8^).  Since my rain catchment system is 500 square feet of roof space my rainwater harvesting tanks have captured approximately 420 gallons of water in the past two days.  And the good news is Mickey is back at work today collecting more!  Nice job Mickey!

The first week of January 2012 I spent with my family in Scottsdale, AZ.  Several days we journeyed out into the desert for a nice hike.  This time of year the desert was very green and beautiful.  Our first hike was at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.  We hiked the 5 mile Gateway Trail up and around a small mountain.  One of the interesting things I found out that day was regarding a 20,000 gallon underground rainwater harvesting system.  The system was designed as part of the Leed Platinum visitor center at the trail head.  A volunteer was on hand to discuss the trails and the facility.  The roof was structured like butterfly wings.  All the water collected on the roof moved to the center line and funneled down a steel truss to the rain chain.  The rain chain was centered over a large raised bed of medium sized rock that covered the entrance to the underground cistern.  The rock bed acts like a quieting device eliminating the problem of erosion.  You never know where you might find a rainwater system!  For more information on the McDowell Sonoran Preserve click on the following link www.mcdowellsonoran.org and make sure you go for a hike the next time your in the Scottsdale area.

Here is another sign I saw on a recent trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.  How can a professional sign company do this?  Perhaps it is a joke!  It didn't appear altered in any way as far as I could tell.  Since it isn't raining and business is slow I'm looking for things to do.  If you see signs that are misspelled send them to me with some context and I will post them on this blog.

_I don't know about you, but all this sunny weather has made me too happy the past few months!  We need some dreary rainy weather for a few months to balance out these biological highs I've been experiencing.  I'm getting really tired of seeing those big high pressure systems sitting over the western United States.  Lets face it, we need rain!  October started out with a few inches of rain, but its been sunny ever since.  November and December are supposed to be two of the five wettest months we experience in Central California, but this year nada, zilch, nothing but Sun!  YUK.  We need some rain.  Lets all start thinking about rain.  Lets start meditating and reduce the stress level around here.  Once the stress level is relieved, the high pressure will go away, and the low pressure in our lives will usher in some rain!  I know it doesn't work like that, really!  But, geez, I'm ready for some nice rain to fill my rain tanks.  Today I'm going to use the last 500 gallons collected in October to water my parched plants one last time and then I need some help from Mother Nature!

Another of my favorite signs was in the window of the Hard Rock Cafe on Charlotte Street, Nassau, Bahamas.  We visited there the first time in 2005 and it caught my eye immediately.  Nothing else, just sharing!

_At the October Design and Construction Class held by ARCSA in Portland, Oregon I was listening to Billy Kniffen talk about how the water in a tank could be siphoned out of the tank through the first flush device.  I had not heard about that previously.  As water is flowing through a wet conveyance to a calming inlet a siphon effect could occur.  If you have ever siphoned gas out of a gas tank or similar situation you know that once you create the siphon effect the liquid will pull itself from a higher location to a lower location.  Since a first flush device is set up with an emitter to automatically release its contents overtime, it could then be the place where all the water in the tank is siphoned back up the calming inlet through the conveyance mechanism and out the first flush.  To eliminate this problem you drill a hole in the top of the calming inlet which allows air to enter and break any siphon effect from occurring.  At the last installation we finished the design and tested it by filling the conveyance mechanism with municipal hose water through the leaf eater, which filled the first flush, then filled the wet conveyance until it overflowed into the calming inlet inside the tank.  Next we drilled the anti-siphon hole at the top of the calming inlet and an audible suction release was heard.  Thank you Billy Kniffen and ARCSA for sharing your knowledge and training!