Harvesting rain from heaven above

By Matt Irvin, Staff Writer

Thursday, November 16, 2006 — Blue Ridge Atlantic Enterprises (BRAE) of Oakboro is making a name for itself nationally.

Shawn Hatley, a native of Stanly County and whose family ties to the county date back to the mid-1700s, is using old ideas combined with modern technology to help conserve water for the future.

His company’s product has been selected to be featured in a showcase “green” home in Raleigh. Green homes use technology that help the environment in many ways. One of the by-products of green homes is after the cost of the systems, they help reduce or eliminate utility bills.

Hatley said most uses of water treated at water plants are not for consumption.

“People consume less than one percent of treated water in the U.S.,” Hatley said. “The rest is used for washing cars, flushing toilets, watering lawns and other uses.

“Does it make sense to treat water as potable water for these uses? Would you choose high quality water to wash a trash truck?”

The average home could collect up to 80,000 gallons of water per year from run off of the roof Hatley said.

“If 15 percent of U.S. homes irrigated with harvested rainwater, one billion gallons of water would be conserved,” he said.

“The water can be stored in a cistern for later use,” he said.

Some communities in the U.S. are now requiring rain water storage systems in new construction according to Hatley.

“There are now funds available from the state for implementing systems,” Hatley said.

BRAE designs harvesting systems from huge underground cisterns to small above ground collection tanks.

“Systems can come in all sizes,” Hatley said.

He said there are some common myths about storage systems that are not true.

“Algae is not a problem because you don’t use clear tanks, you can’t use an agricultural tank for a collection system,” he said. “Another is water pressure

BRAE has recently installed a 500,000 cistern system at the Northern Middle and High school complex in Guilford County. Rainwater is collected for use for flushing toilets and irrigating the ballfields.

Some other projects that BRAE has worked on in North Carolina are the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, and the Home Depot Smart House.

Their products are used at Lowes Home Improvement stores, Walmart is looking at their systems for use at their retail outlets.

BRAE’s rainwater harvesting system was chosen to be used in Cherokee Investment Partner’s Mainstream GreenHome in Raleigh.

The Mainstream GreenHome showcases a number of innovative, environmentally friendly features, while looking and functioning as a traditional home. The aim of the home is to reverse the negative stigma associated with green building and show that environmentally-focused construction is compatible with conventional building and better living.

The home has been built in a traditional suburban neighborhood to serve as showcase home for homebuilders nationwide. Average homebuilders now have a model for making tomorrow’s typical home.

“BRAE is proud to be part of the Mainstream GreenHome project,” Hatley said. “The Complete Rainwater Harvesting system being integrated into the Mainstream GreenHome will play a significant role in achieving the goal of retaining 95 percent of stormwater on-site for reuse.”

Hatley said the demonstration home is a great opportunity for all homebuilders to understand how rainwater harvesting manages on-site stormwater while achieving water efficiency through landscape irrigation and other non-potable household uses.

“The GreenHome is the perfect project to spotlight how green building can be integrated into conventional architecture,” he said.

Homes can be built in conventional subdivisions, on ordinary lots that are appealing to a wide range of homebuyers and homebuilders Hatley said.

Some of the goals of the GreenHome are:

• To use 50 percent less fossil fuel than the conventional home;

• Recycle or reuse 90 percent of all organic waste on site;

• Consume 50 percent less water than the conventional home;

• Recycle 75 percent of all construction and demolition waste;

• Retain 95 percent of all storm water on site for reuse;

• Create wildlife habitats

• Provide exceptional indoor air quality with 95 percent of all products having low or zero volatile organic compound.

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