Date of Award

6-11-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara University

Department

Civil Engineering

First Advisor

Edwin Maurer

Abstract

A rainwater harvesting and treatment system was designed and constructed for the Hope for Life Ministry's home for street boys, located outside of Kigali, Rwanda. This system included two different components: a showering system and a potable system. The design and construction of the shower system utilized the roof space of the property's main building to capture water in two separate 10,000-liter tanks on either side of the building. Manual hand pumps were then installed in shower rooms located on either side of the building and were connected to the tanks with piping. 55-gallon barrels were placed in the shower rooms to collect pumped water and a thorough bucket showering plan was set in place to allow for sufficient water supply throughout the year. The design and construction of the potable system utilized the existing roof spaces of the kitchen and outdoor bathrooms to collect rainwater, which is then piped to a slow-sand filter and ultimately stored in a 3,000-liter tank. These systems will allow up to 85% of the home's annual water demand to be supplemented by harvested rainwater, reducing the home's utility water costs, increasing its self-sufficiency, and promoting funds to be used for other purposes.

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