hyphae stop waste

hyph!design laboratory

Ecological Design & Engineering

BIOFILTERU R B A N

A Community-based Nonprofit focused on Ecological Infrastructure and Bioremediation

H Y P H A E D E S I G N L A B O R A T O R YThe Hyphae Des ign Labora to ry (Hyphae) i s an

eco log ica l eng ineer ing and des ign f i rm ded ica ted to

c rea t ing innova t ive g reen in f ras t ruc tu re . Hyphae ’s

mu l t i -‐d isc ip l inary team b lends landscape arch i tec tu re

and c iv i l eng ineer ing , tu rn ing mu l t i -‐ face ted eng ineer ing

cha l lenges in to e legant ly des igned ecosys tem so lu t ions .

Hyphae 's focus on eco log ia l des ign has resu l ted in a

d iverse body o f work , f rom landscapes , to l i v ing roo fs , to

mechan ica l and b io log ica l t rea tment sys tems fo r water ,

to pub l i c a r t p ro jec ts tha t un i te in f ras t ruc tu re w i th pub l i c

space . Hyphae 's work ranges in sca le , f rom res iden t ia l ,

to commerc ia l , ins t i tu t iona l and mun ic ipa l des ign .

Work ing in bo th u rban and ru ra l landscapes Hyphae

has managed the des ign phase o f cons t ruc t ion p ro jec ts

rang ing f rom $25 ,000 to $100-‐mi l l i on .

Work ing d i l i gen t l y w i th permi t t ing agenc ies and

regu la to rs , Hyphae has p ioneered new code

acceptance fo r innova t ive g reen in f ras t ruc tu re inc lud ing

g roundbreak ing ra inwater ca tchment sys tems and

was tewater reuse fo r landscape i r r iga t ion in the pub l i c

rea lm.

S E R V I C E SHyphae prov ides a range o f serv ices f rom concept

to cons t ruc t ion . Research and des ign o f func t iona l

regenera t i ve ecosys tems and consu l ta t ion on

a rch i tec tu ra l des ign & eng ineer ing a re the core work

in the o f f i ce . In add i t ion , sc ien t i f c research , p roduc t

des ign , and a r t ins ta l la t ions a re a secondary focus .

Hyphae 's core serv ices inc lude :

Civ i l Eng ineer ing

Sus ta inab le M/E/P Eng ineer ing

Landscape Des ign inc lud ing L iv ing Roofs & Wal ls

Ecosys tem Serv ice Mode l ing

Communi ty Out reach & Communi ty Based Des ign

FIRM PROFILE

hyph!design laboratory

Ecological Design & Engineering

BIOFILTERU R B A N

A Community-based Nonprofit focused on Ecological Infrastructure and Bioremediation

SELECTED PROJECTS

SFMOMA EXPANSION LIVING WALLLocat ion I San FranciscoCl ient I SFMOMAArchi tect I SnohettaProjected Complet ion Date I 2015Descr ipt ion I Hyphae Design Laboratory in col laborat ion with Habi tat Hort icu l ture are designing a 5000 s. f . l iv ing wal l for the new SFMOMA expansion being designed by Snohetta. The l iv ing wal ls wi l l be 30' h igh by 100 feet long and the fern covered north-fac ing s lopes of SF's mar i t ime mounta ins, wi l l serve as i ts ecologica l reference or analog. The wal l wi l l be one of the f i rst ever to feature fungus, l ichens, and species found in our complex ecosystems. Most notably, the l iv ing wal l have an innovat ive 100% non-potable i r r igat ion system that recycles museums a i r condi t ion ing condensate, aka the humidi ty captured f rom al l the v istors sweat ! Addi t ional ly, the l iv ing wal l wi l l recycle water and nutr ients, l ike a hydroponics system, fur ther reducing env i ronmenta l impact and water use by 60%. The l iv ing wal l has an expected construct ion cost of $1,800,000. The tota l pro ject cost is 190 mi l l ion.

LAKE MERRITT FLOATING ISLANDPILOT PROJECTLocat ion | OaklandCl ient | Ci ty of OaklandDesign | HyphaeProjected Complet ion Date | 2014Descr ipt ion | The Lake Merr i t t F loat ing Is land Pi lot Pro ject is being developed by Hyphae Design Laboratory in conjunct ion with The Planning

Center/ DC&E, F loat ing Is lands West and the Ci ty of Oakland. The intent of the pro ject is to launch a f loat ing is land in Lake Merr i t t to improve water qual i ty and prov ide habi tat for b i rds and f ish. The buoyant matr ix which forms the is land structure has a large sur face area, which prov ides an excel lent habi tat for microbes to create a b iof i lm. This b iof i lm has been shown to uptake excess nutr ients in aquat ic env i ronments and to increase dissolved oxygen. The is land can prov ide new f ish habi tat by prov id ing a shaded refuge as wel l as a food source. The is land wi l l be studied over the course of the pro ject to learn how i t can help to improve water qual i ty and prov ide habi tat as wel l as prov id ing a v isual ameni ty for the Lake.

BAY MEADOWSLocat ion | San Mateo, CACl ient | Bay MeadowsDesign/Bui ld | Hyphae Design Lab + Habi tat Hort icu l tureYear Completed | 2013Descr ipt ion | A color fu l vert ica l garden greets guests at Bay Meadows Welcome Center, inv i t ing passersby to pause for a moment and enjoy the landscape. The v ibrant stretch of greenery f lows in rhythm with the surroundings, prov id ing a sense of cont inu i ty wi th in the larger gather ing space. The l iv ing composi t ion mixes lush fo l iage with purple, p ink and whi te f lowers, evoking a sense of spr ing or summer, whi le the grass- l ike Acorus gramineus 'ogon' g ives movement to the wal l , for a p layfu l homage to the meadow.

BUTTERFLY HOUSELocat ion | Lafayette, CACl ient | Pr ivate ResidenceDesign/Bui ld | Hyphae Design LabYear Completed | 2009Descr ipt ion | For th is pro ject , Hyphae designed the f i rst ra inwater system permit ted for indoor non-potable water use in the Ci ty of Lafayette and the County of Contra Costa. The res idence archi tect had in i t ia l ly des igned a 10,000-gal lon ra inwater harvest ing system for landscape i r r igat ion. We calculated that we could use graywater for landscape i r r igat ion at a substant ia l ly lower cost, whi le prov id ing a smal ler ra inwater harvest ing system to meet indoor non-potable water needs for the ent i re year. As the c l ient had a large fami ly, we designed a system to have two 1,700-gal lon underground tanks to supply the to i lets and laundry, amassed graywater f rom the bathroom s inks and showers and c lothes washer, and insta l led an eff ic ient dr ip landscape i r r igat ion system fed by water f i l tered in a constructed wet land. Af ter the pro ject ’s complet ion, i t was se lected as a locat ion for an Amer ican Inst i tute of Archi tects (AIA) East Bay L iv ing: Home Tour.

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Locat ion | Los AngelesCl ient | Ci ty of Los AngelesDesign | Rana Creek Complet ion Date | 2009Descr ipt ion | Th is Ci ty of Los Angeles pro ject is a $40 mi l l ion br idge renovat ion that spans the Los Angeles River between the I-5 and I-110 f reeways. The roundabout, des igned to help contro l smog and exhaust impacts on surrounding res idents, wi l l be the f i rst roundabout in LA. Hyphae served as the landscape designer and c iv i l engineer for the susta inable stormwater features of the pro ject . Hyphae worked with the Bureau of Engineer ing and local publ ic art is t Greenmeme to make the roundabout not only an art p iece, but a lso a stormwater b ioretent ion landscape. The system has the capaci ty to capture and t reat a 10-year ra infa l l event, or 500,000 gal lons, off the adjacent br idge and roads. The system also inc ludes a

RIVERSIDE ROUNDABOUT

25,000-gal lon c istern that suppl ies a water feature as wel l as a solar t racking photovol ta ic system that powers i r r igat ion, l ight ing, and the artwork. We worked with engineers AECOM/HNTB and the Ci ty to design and s ize the systems, convinced a l l re levant agencies of i ts engineer ing v iabi l i ty, and then produced fu l l landscape and c iv i l construct ion documents and speci f icat ions for the roundabout and surrounding street t rees and bioswales.

Locat ion | San FranciscoCl ient | Community Benef i t Distr ictDesign | Hyphae Design Lab Complet ion Date | 2014Descr ipt ion | Hyphae Design Laboratory together wi th The North of Market/Tender lo in Community Benef i t Distr ict (NOMTL-CBD) has embarked on a campaign to improve access to publ ic bathrooms. The ecologica l to i let p lanned for 2014 wi l l have features such as compost ing, graywater reuse for the passive i r r igat ion of p lanted t re l l is screens, ur ine nutr ient cyc l ing for p lant heal th, and solar panels for l ight ing and power. Af ter conduct ing an extensive s ix-month community research process, Hyphae Design Laboratory developed a 90-page Publ ic Toi let Masterp lan that inc ludes a comprehensive, ne ighborhood-wide to i let survey conducted by a local res ident, input f rom hundreds of community members, three preferred to i let locat ions, and schemat ic design guidel ines that meet ADA compl iance (ht tp:// issuu.com/hyphaedesignlab) . The Publ ic Toi let Pro ject is funded in part by a Community Chal lenge Grant and a Community Development Block Grant.

PUBLIC TOILET 2.0

hyphae design laboratory



18

Highest Number of “Incidents” Reported in the Tenderloin

Locat ion | San FranciscoCl ient | Urban Prototyping Fest iva lDesign | Hyphae Design Lab Complet ion Date | 2012Descr ipt ion | The PPlanter works for both men and women and, s imi lar to a park let , convenient ly takes up a s ingle park ing space. The PPlanter system works as fo l lows: A s ink is suppl ied with a human powered foot pump is connected to a f reshwater supply tank. The graywater f rom the s ink, a long with soap res idue, f lushes and c leans the ur ina l , keeping odor to a min imum.The graywater, soap and ur ine (b lackwater ) f rom the ADA-compl iant ur ina l are funneled to a sealed storage tank. The combined blackwater is then pumped into an adjacent p lanter that houses bamboo plants set in a l ightweight mixture of so i l and recycled styrofoam coated in pect in. The water f rom the ur ina l and s ink is evapotranspired by the bamboo and re leased into the a i r as d ist i l led, pur i f ied water. The bamboo harnesses the incredib le amount of n i t rogen and phosphorus found in the ur ine and uses i t to produce more bamboo. W ith h igh t raff ic ur ina ls addi t ional p lanters can be added to the system in ser ies. PPLANTER 1.0

CUSTOM 1/8” PETG VACU-FORMED 2-PART URINAL WITH INFINITY RIM

SLOAN WATERLESS URINAL CARTRIDGE

8 GALLON DOSING TANK: HOLDS COMBINED URINE AND WATER

HINGED HATCH FOR ACCESS

HOUSING FOR MICROCON-TROLLER FOR SENSOR FEEDBACK NETWORK

SLIDING PRIVACY SCREEN SIGN

BIOFILTRATION MODULE

LDPE WATERTIGHT CON-TAINER

35 GALLON HDPE WATER TANK

FOOT PUMP

BAMBOO- BAMBUSA OLD-HAMII

3” WOODCHIP MULCH WITH ACTIVATED CARBON

24” SOIL MIX

12” GRAVEL RESEVOIR

BIOFILTRATION MODULE

SINK AND URINAL MODULE

SLIDING PRIVACY SIGN

PASSIVE IR SENSOR RE-CORDS WHEN URINAL IS USED

FLOW METER ON SINK OUT-FLOW RECORDS AMOUNT OF WATER USAGE FROM

SINK

WATER LEVEL SENSOR IN TANK INDICATES WHEN

REFILL IS NEEDED

PPLANTERLocat ion | Tender lo in, San FranciscoCl ient | Community Benef i t Distr ictDesign/Bui ld | Hyphae Design LabYear Completed | 2013Descr ipt ion | S i tuated in a s ingle park ing space at 357 El l is St . between Jones St. and Tay lor St . , the latest PPlanter t r ia l wi th a new and improved PPlanter 2.0 ran f rom July 12th to July 24th. The Street Tr ia l is one step in a masterp lan put forth by NOMTL CBD in partnership wi th the Hyphae Design Laboratory to prov ide low-cost, rapid ly deployable, community based, ecologica l sani tat ion solut ions to the Tender lo in and North of Market Street community. The Street Tr ia l prov ided an opportuni ty to test some innovat ive greening strategies, to col lect data on dai ly water and waste f lows, and maintenance requirements, and to get feedback f rom the community on usabi l i ty and pr ivacy.

The Street Tr ia l a lso prov ided an inva luable process for the team to col laborate wi th Ci ty of San Francisco agency partners inc luding Department of Publ ic Works (DPW), Department of Publ ic Heal th (DPH), the Mayor’s Off ice and Superv isor Jane Kim’s Off ice to work out permit t ing logist ics. For the Street Tr ia l , des ign considerat ions inc luded traff ic patterns, Amer icans with Disabi l i t ies Act (ADA) requirements and heal th codes were. An innovat ive maintenance checkl ist was a lso developed for the pro ject wi th the help of DPH.

Over the course of the two-week t r ia l , vo lunteers f rom YWAM SF ass isted with dai ly maintenance, logged data, and col lected feedback f rom the publ ic. Compi led data and feedback f rom the t r ia l wi l l in form the design of the fu l l publ ic to i let p lanned for 2014.

The next steps are to f ix some bugs in the PPlanter, incorporate some great feedback, and look for p laces to get i t back out on the street .

TENDERLOINTRAILHEAD

Locat ion | Tender lo in, San FranciscoCl ient | NEA/IsFA/Luggage Store Gal leryDesign/Bui ld | Hyphae Design LabYear Completed | 2012Descr ipt ion | Work ing with Intersect ion for the Arts and the Luggage Store Gal lery, we have reversed a t rend by insta l l ing the f i rst publ ic benches in Mid-Market s ince the Ci ty of San Francisco removed seat ing a long Market Street , Civ ic Center Plaza and Uni ted Nat ions Plaza in the 1990s. Supported in part by the NEA and the San Francisco Art Commiss ion’s Artery Pro ject , The Tra i lhead ( the Tra i lhead of the Tender lo in Nat ional Forest ) is an urban ranger stat ion that prov ides t ra i l maps of the Tender lo in Nat ional Forest in i t iat ives and houses a p lant nursery where starts can be purchased, an art ga l lery space, a youth group. V is i tors can grab a coffee at the farm:table run cafe and s i t at the reconf igurable pygmy forest on Market St. In i t ’s f lex ib i l i ty and rapid insta l lat ion, the pygmy forest st reet-scape has inspi red the Planning Department in the i r Park lets 2.0 in i t iat ive.

THE LIVING CLASSROOMLocat ion | Heron’s Head Park San Francisco, CA Cl ient | L i te racy fo r Env i ronmenta l Jus t i ce

Archi tect | Toby Long Design Year Completed | 2009Descr ipt ion | Hyphae Pr inc ipal Brent Bucknum was the pro ject manager and lead designer for th is l iv ing roof and ra inwater system. He a lso worked with Josiah Cain and John Todd Ecologica l Design on the ecologica l waste t reatment system. The roof is designed to mimic dry rocky outcrops a long the shore, but a lso has pond l iner in some areas, to create a smal l vernal ecosystems. Tree l imbs were added to prov ide protect ion for insects and perches for b i rds. The plants were col lected f rom around the park and cul t ivated onsi te by students.

NUEVA SCHOOLLibrary & Student Center ExpansionLocat ion I Hi l lsborough, CA Cl ient I The Nueva SchoolArchi tect I Leddy Maytum StaceyYear Completed I 2008Descr ipt ion I Brent Bucknum was the lead designer and pro ject manager for the design of l iv ing roofs for these two bui ld ings. One Roof uses a l l drought to lerant nat ives and prov ided habi tat for endangered checkerspot butter f ly. The other mimics the Hi l lsborough nat ive grass land ecosystem. Bucknum also worked with Agi lewaves, a bui ld ing automat ion company, to design a l iv ing roof moni tor ing system.

PIER 27 + 29Locat ion | Tender lo in, San FranciscoCl ient | GOOD Magazine + the Port of San FranciscoDesign | Hyphae Design LabYear Completed | 2012Descr ipt ion | Hyphae was asked by GOOD Magazine and the Port of San Francisco, to env is ion a new l i fe for P ier 27 + 29, an awkward shaped tr iangular p ier, that juts out beyond a l l other p iers, to prov ide an unprecedented 360 v iew of the c i ty and the bay and the San Francisco water f ront. Soon the p ier wi l l be home to a new cru ise sh ip terminal , and the

PIER 27 SFAMERICA’S CUP SF

PROPOSED TERMINAL

hub of the Amer ica’s Cup. Hyphae wondered how can i t best serve the c i t izens of San Francisco af ter the Amer ica’s Cup is over? GOOD Magazine wr i tes, “Hyphae Design’s Brent Bucknum ra l l ied the crowd with a solut ion to Dan Hodapp’s chal lenge f rom the Port of San Francisco to t ransform Pier 27 into an asset for the c i ty. Using the changes that are a l ready p lanned for the 2013 Amer ica’s Cup, Bucknum proposed a hyper-susta inable p ier that would not only c lean local waters us ing natura l technologies ( l ike oysters! ) , i t would create a peacefu l respi te for res idents that he lped connect them with the b io logica l processes of the bay.”

HYPERACCUMULATORLocat ion | San Francisco's Water Front, CACl ient | B lue Tra i lsDesign/Bui ld | Hyphae Design LabYear Completed | 2013Descr ipt ion | Hyperaccumulator is a f loat ing remediat ion barge, a funct ional model that c leans s ludge f rom the San Francisco Bay whi le a lso prov id ing a space for human enjoyment of the water f ront. Interact ive, t ransdisc ip l inary programming and events prov ide mult ip le ways to interpret and appreciate the bay ecosystem.Hyperaccumulator gets people out on the bay to have fun, the f i rst step in understanding the heal th and env i ronmenta l issues at stake, changing the env i ronmenta l paradigm from gui l t -dr iven to le isure and recreat ion dr iven env i ronmenta l ism.

SITE SANTA FE

Locat ion | Santa Fe, NMCl ient | SITE Santa FeDesign | Hyphae Design LabYear Completed | 2013Descr ipt ion | Hyphae's Waterscape design earned runner-up for SITE Santa Fe's Cal l for Archi tects and Designers. Waterscape is a unique comment on Santa Fe's desert landscape and ra i l h istory. The design presents water as a precious and surpr is ingly structura l e lement, chal lengingtradi t ional ideas of water's p lace in landscape. I t speaks to the necessary changes wemust make in the desert landscape through creat ing a pav i l l ion of shade and moisturethat sharply constrasts the surrounding s i te.

AFFORDABLE WATER Prepared by Hyphae Design Laboratory

water

audit

&

actio

n plan

EBAL

DC

Friday, March 23, 2012

EBALDC Project Team:Mary Lucero-Dorst, Director of Asset ManagementJeremy Liu, Executive DirectorSammi Truong, Special Projects Coordinator

Madison Park Hotel:Connie Tang, Property ManagerAnh Cam, Assistant Property ManagerLeon Phommala, Custodian

Madrone Hotel:Lynn Newton, Property ManagerRoserfino Saclolo, Custodian

San Pablo Hotel:Karen Jasper, Property ManagerIsrael Terriquez, Assistant Property ManagerRaúl Rodriguez, Maintenance Supervisor

Oakland Point Limited Partnership:Robin Smith, Property ManagerAnthony Camel, Maintenance Technician

Sponsored by:

Affordable Water : EBALDC Water Use Audit & Sustainable Action Plan

HYPHAE DESIGN LABORATORY

Project Team:Brent BucknumEric F. Olson, P.E.Philip LucasKerby OlsenDorianne Shivers

Researched by:

Additional thank you to the following organizations for their support & info:

Nancy Nadel, Oakland City Council-Member, District 3 (West Oakland)Hector Dominguez, EBMUDArmando Vasquez , Construct ion Management ConsultantGary Funston, Web Service CompanyNancy Quinn, Coinmach Service Corporation

unless otherwise referenced or copyrighted, the original work in this document is covered by the following creative commons laws:

whats inside?

Even as under-valued as water still is, we CAN sti l l make water reuse affordable... look inside and see how!

Explore 60 years of water use.

See how graywater from laundries, showers & sinks can be used for landscape irrigation, toilet flushing & cooling tower, and how greywater can be used to improve indoor air quality.

See how rainwater can significantly offset 1,000,000 gallons of water used in one cooling tower on one property!

2


Introduction

This is an investigation into how one affordable housing developer’s tenants use water and how different typologies for water reuse can apply to their portfolio of properties. It is our goal to set forth a a wave of policy change, that brings about a new paradigm in water use for not only affordable housing, but all multi-family housing properties.

However grand a vision, we are not starting with a perfect prototype “eco-affordable housing” project. Instead we are starting humbly, with an extremely diverse existing building portfolio, with buildings ranging from, 20 to 140 years old, from historic hotels, to converted Victorians.

This study analyzes the feasibility of implementing water efficiency and water reuse strategies on 18 of a total of 30 multi-family buildings of the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC); 3 large multi-family buildings, Madison Park Apartments, the Madrone Hotel, the San Pablo Hotel; and 9 properties of the Oakland Point Limited Partnership, all in Oakland, California. The sites were chosen both for their need for retrofit work, as well as their diversity of housing typologies.

Our agenda is to use the diversity of water reuse and conservation opportunities these properties provide, as an opportunity to vet different innovative water saving technologies. Through the execution of each of the proposed projects, outlined in this report, we also expect to push the code boundaries. We hope for this to be a real life forum for proactive policy, to work closely and collaboratively with Building and Public Health officials.

The report is a preliminary study, but it illustrates a lot about how water is used in a broader social context. Water has been historically undervalued and there haven’t been great incentives in the past for conservation. Water use in multi-family buildings has not been extensively studied, and there are many variables depending on the site. To even begin this report, we had to create new ways of investigating water use. Because water sub-metering is still uncommon, we were forced to do a forensic water analysis through the creative solution of “data mining”. From culling laundry service water bills, to manually entering sometimes 60 years of water bills, we gained an interesting insight into the ebbs and flows of multi-family water use. But at the end of the day, much is still a mystery, and left to speculation. As we work with EBALDC to install sub-metering in critical locations, and continue to monitor water use activity, our understanding will gain higher levels of resolution, and the study will grow. This is intended to be a living document, that evolves along with our understanding.

Our greatest challenges are developing efficient water policy and economical valuation, and creating economic solutions.

Introduction 3

Need -Watershed-Economics

Research Methodology-Water Use Analysis

-Laundry Use Analysis-Site Investigation

Action Plan-EBMUD Services and Opportunities-Conservation & Reuse Options

-Spreadsheet Overview

Conservation/Reuse Strategies-Graywater

-Recycled Water-Urban Greenspace

Detailed Site Surveys-San Pablo Hotel

-Madison Park Apartments-Madrone Hotel

-OPLP Sites-Pilot Projects

-Costs

Case Studies-BRAC

-Pontos-Nubian

-Hyphae Projects

Table of Contents

3


if we want to...

Stop the Mokelumne dam expansion? then we only need to conserve 10-20% of our current water use

Stop an expensive desalination plant? then we only need to conserve at least 20-30%

Restore Bay Delta habitat?then we need to completely rethink our water use

Conventional Infrastructure (R-L): Pardee Dam, Pumping & Conveyance to East Bay, Waste Treatment, Bay Discharge

EBALDC can conserve over 50% of current indoor water use...

Read the report and see how!

NEED: Why is water conservation & reuse important?

First and foremost, water conservation and reuse is an energy issue; nearly 20% of California’s energy goes to pumping and treating water. If

we hope to seriously combat climate change, we must address water. Secondly, the San Francisco Bay/Delta ecosystem is on the verge of

collapse, due to human extraction.

While this may sound glum, there are simple solutions we can tackle, to help combat these issues.

How much water can we afford to use?

4


The re a re o ve r 17 m i l l i o n multifamily units in the U.S. and if they were to reduce water consumption by only 10 percent, it would account for 94 billion gallons of water saved every year.

“If a 10 percent conservation rate i s a p p l i e d t o a 3 0 0 - u n i t community, the average saving to the manager wi l l be about $15,000 a year.” ! ! ! ! ! -John Klein, JDM Associates

the opportunityThe 21st century presents new challenges and opportunities in the area of water use. !Here in California, water resources are stressed and the situation looks to get more challenging in the future. ! In the past, increases in water demand have been met with increases in water supply. !With serious limitations on the ability to increase supply, water efficiency and water reuse are becoming more attractive options. !

California water resources are under stress. !In 2008, it was estimated that California had a population of approximately 38 million, and it is estimated that the number will rise to 60 million by 2050, an increase of more than 50%. !As population increases, efficiency and reuse will have to increase substantially just to meet human needs.

our use in context!While use varies greatly across the state, Californians average 100 gallons a day per person. !The average person in the United States uses between 65 to 78 gallons of water (250 to 300 liters) per day for drinking, cooking, bathing, and watering their yard. The average person in the Netherlands uses only 27 gallons (104 liters) per day for the same tasks. !In contrast to this, the average person in the African nation of Gambia uses only 1.17 gallons (4.5 liters) of water per day. !This leaves us a great deal of room for reduced water use and smarter use of the water we do utilize.

Storage tanks for rainwater harvesting

30% of all U.S. ( 6 0 m i l l i o n residents) live in mult i-family units.

NEED: Why is it important in multi-family housing?

The San Pablo Hotel Graywater recycling system

5


Water Use Investigation

We requested water use and billing records for each site from East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). We initially received one to two year summaries from EBMUD. We noticed that some of the per capita numbers were very high (1025 and 1027 10th street and 1501 8th Street).

We requested long term data and received electronic data going back to the 1970s for some sites. In this data, we noticed that there were outliers such as zero readings for some periods or high spikes. We selected averages based upon recent time periods, generally the last two or three years.

We have graphed the water use on an annual basis to determine if there are annual trends, such as high landscape watering or cooling tower use in the summer. We have also graphed the long term water use to see if there are long term trends or reductions in water use after water efficiency retrofits, for example.

Water use data collected from EBMUD

Laundry Use Calculation

Laundry revenue records were obtained from Coinmach and Web Services to estimate the laundry water use at Madison Park Apartments, Madrone Hotel and San Pablo Hotel. The total revenue from washing machines was averaged on a monthly basis and then divided by the cost per cycle to determine the number of cycles per month. The number of gallons per cycle was determined by obtaining the product specs. From this we were able to determine the number of gallons per month that were used for the common washing machines in these buildings.

Laundry water usage culled from bills

Research Methodology: Forensic Hydrology

Calculating Gallons per load

6


All sites were investigated by Hyphae personnel. Observations were made and recorded regarding physical conditions, user behavior, and operations. Photos were taken of the interior and exterior. Most sites received an initial visit and a follow up for clarification of issues discovered on the first visit. The table to the right summarizes the inspections done on each site.

With so little empirical data, site visits, served as a critical resource to analyze each buildings water use. We toured each building and did extensive interviews with every site maintenance personal, as well as residents, where possible.

Area Inspected items

Outdoor landscaped areas Irrigation system, leaks, general landscape health, resident use patterns

Outdoor hardscape areas Stormwater runoff issues, permeability, potential for rainwater harvesting, vegetated planters

Exterior Walls Potential for living walls, planter boxes

Roofs Potential for rainwater harvesting and living roofs, cooling towers, conditions of gutters, downspouts

Laundry Rooms Washer model, access to discharge water, ease of plumbing to outside, proximity to storage areas

Common bathrooms and restrooms

Fixture types and flow rates, location of plumbing, estimates of number of users and frequency of use, leaks

Basements and crawl spaces Outdoor access clearances, interior clearances, access to plumbing, sewer lines

Individual units Resident lifestyle observations (laundry in unit)

Individual bathrooms Fixture types and flow rates, location of plumbing, leaks

Boiler/water heater areas Model, safety issues, leaks

Research Methodology: Site Investigations

Cooling Tower Analysis @ San Pablo Hotel Piping Forensics @ Madrone Fixture Documentation

7


Env. Canada

UCLA

AWWA

UC Davis

Calgary

Average

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Indoor Water Use from Academic & Municipal Source

Laundry Toilets Showers/Bath DishwashingFaucet Other Indoor/Leaks

1 - Environment Canada2 - UCLA Institute of the Environment report “Graywater - A Potential Source of Water” by Yoram Cohen (single family home)3 - American Water Works Association (AWWA) report4 - Universtity of California Davis, Erin Reschke5 - City of Calgary

“Cooking and Drinking” category from Environment Canada study was attributed to the ‘faucet’ category.“Other Indoor” category was merged with “Leaks” category for the AWWA and City of Calgary studies.

Baseline indoor use= 68 gallons per day per person

Information SourceFor Appliance Percentages

!Information Source!Per Capita Water Figures

!HUD Study, 1984!77.3 gpcd, non-conserving households

!!59.7 gpcd, conserving households

!MWD Report, 1985!86 gpcd

!CUWA Manual, 1992!40-90 gpcd

!DWR Bulletin 160-93, 1993!80

!draft DWR Bulletin 160-98, 1997!75

!AWWARF End Use Study (DRAFT)!65 gpcd, non-conserving households

!!45 gpcd, non-conserving households

Research Methodology: Establishing a baseline

!Information Source For!Per Capita Water Figures

!HUD Study, 1984 gpcd, non-conserving households gpcd, conserving households!MWD Report, 1985!CUWA Manual, 1992!DWR Bulletin’s 160-93, 1993 and 160-98, 1997!AWWARF End Use Study (DRAFT) non-conserving households

Beyond the raw data that we could gather for total water use and laundry water use, all other fixture percentages had to be estimated from other studies. We conducted an academic and municipal journal review, to accumulate different findings for both total per capita water use, as well as indoor fixture water use.

Because most of these EBALDC properties had little to no landscape, we focused on studies that had indoor water use figures. We also weighted our studies to properties in California, assuming water use would be more similar than other regions and countries.

HUD

HUD #2

MWD

CUWA

CUWA #2

DWR

DWR #2

AWWA

AWWA #2

Average

0 11.0 22.0 33.0 44.0 55.0 66.0 77.0 88.0 99.0 110.0

GPD

8


Madison Park Apartments

Madrone Hotel

San Pablo Hotel

919 Chester

963 Center

1010 Center

1025 Center

1027 Center

1430 10th

1442-1446 10th

1501-1505 8th

1734-1736 9th

Effie's House

Frank G. Mar

Hismen Hin-Nu Terrace

Hugh Taylor House

Jack London Gateway

Seven Directions Apartments

Swan's Apartments

Oak Park Apartments

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

Per Capita Water Use

The Big Numbers

31,000 Gallons per day for the

EBALDC Facilities studied

71.5 Gallons per person each day 11.4 Million Gallons per year

Findings: EBALDC Properties at a glance

9

EBALDC CURRENT AVERAGE*

NATIONAL AVERAGE +

BASIC LEED / CALGREEN (20% Potable Reduction)

EBALDC TARGET “LEED PLATINUM”(50% Potable Reduction)

71.5

69.5

56.0

38.0

* EBALDC Average omits the extreme outlier, 1025 Center St. and is weighted to reflect total 1415 person occupancy of combined building, and combined Gallons per day.

+ Average from AWWA/ EPA Studies


Properties in Feasibility StudyProperties in Feasibility Study UNITS PEOPLEAverage Consumption (GPPD) Gallons per day Gallons per year

Madison Park Apartments 100 9th St. 98 150 98 14,700 5,365,500

Madrone Hotel 477 8th St. 32 35 50 1,750 638,750San Pablo Hotel 1955 San Pablo Ave. 144 141 59 8,319 3,036,435

Oakland Point (OPLP) 919 Chester St. 6 19 42 798 291,270

Oakland Point (OPLP) 963 Center St. 4 13 63 819 298,935


Oakland Point (OPLP) 1025 Center St. 4 9 188 1,692 617,580


Oakland Point (OPLP) 1430 10th St 1 3 64 192 70,080

Oakland Point (OPLP) 1442-1446 10th St. 3 12 44 528 192,720

Oakland Point (OPLP) 1501-1505 8th St. 3 9 120 1,080 394,200

Oakland Point (OPLP) 1734-1736 9th St. 2 8 41 328 119,720

sum 31,231 11,399,315

average 78

Additional Sites

Effie's House 829 E 19th St. 21 25 79 1,975 720,875

Frank G. Mar 283 13th St. 119 320 84 26,880 9,811,200

Hismen Hin-Nu Terrace 2555 International Blvd. 92 275 62 17,050 6,223,250

Hugh Taylor House 1935 Seminary Ave. 43 47 75 3,525 1,286,625Jack London Gateway Senior Housing 989 Brush St. 61 93 47 4,371 1,595,415

Seven Directions Apartments 2946 International Blvd. 36 110 86 9,460 3,452,900

Swan's Apartments 918 Clay St. 18 34 72 2,448 893,520

Oak Park Apartments 2618 E. 16th St. 35 109 55 5,995 2,188,175

sum 71,704 26,171,960

average 70

Data Analysis

• For no apparent reason, Madison Parks average use is high. There is also a peak in summer use, that is strange since, there is no landscape.

• San Pablo Hotel’s water use is surprising low, considering the cooling tower. While there appears to only be one meter, we are curious if potentially the clinic or other tenants and even the cooling tower might be metered separately?

•Most of the Oakland Point daily numbers are high, which may be because some of the water use, is actually going to landscape irrigation, rather than exclusively indoor use.

•1025 is abnormally high and must be caused by a leak, unless there is un-accounted for irrigation, but this is unlikely, given, there is no spike of water use in the summer. This site should definitely be investigated for a leak.

•1734-36, is one site where we knew landscape watering was occurring, and could defer from the graph what was the baseline indoor use vs. irrigation use. When we removed the landscape number from the calculation, the indoor use was thought to be as low as 41 gppd, rather than 90, as it would have been without more detailed assessment.

•Additional sites, may have significant outdoor use, like irrigation, car washing, etc.

• For example,1501 8th, has a high per capita use, but, shows a spike in the summer, which could very likely be unmetered outdoor use. But, there another spike in december, which brings into question, this assumption.

Findings: EBALDC Properties with unit details

10


After evaluating the sites and the data, we developed an action plan which is prioritized according to the following criteria: appropriateness for needs of the site, ability for integration into current systems, minimization of replumbing, minimization of capital cost, and highest return on investment.

We propose the following course of action to implement water reuse strategies at EBALDC Properties.

Findings: Action Plan

PROPERTY Additional Study Community Assessment

Water Reuse Submetering Water-efficient fixtures

Greening/ Misc

San Pablo Trace laundry supply pipes, 1st floor toilet supply pipes, schedule EBMUD evaluation for rebate on cooling tower

Interview community members re: laundry use

Rainwater for Cooling Towers & First Floor Toilets. Graywater reuse for landscape

Landscape, building, cooler

Evaluate waterless urinal, install new irrigation controllers

Indoor Plants in common areas. Replace Landscape with Graywater fed-irrigation

Madison Park Trace shower drains, Interview community members re: extremely low laundry use

Shower to toilet graywater and/or rainwater system to laundry.

Submeter 1st Flr rooms for sample. Mechanical systems, boiler.

Replace inefficient fixtures

Planted courtyards, indoor planters, living roofs or living walls

Madrone Schedule visit from Pontos rep, evaluate for pilot project. Trace east roof rainwater drain line

Simple laundry to landscape (planters), and potentially larger shower to toilet graywater system

Submeter 1st Flr Retail Tenants

Bring more daylight into lightwells. Install living walls and green roofs in lightwells, and place more indoor planters.

919 Chester Landscape, residence

New irrigation controllers

Clean rain gutters

963 Center Interview community re: backyard garden or orchard

Landscape, residence

New irrigation controllers

Backyard garden or orchard

1010 Center1025-27 Center Observe stormwater runoff

Schedule leak investigationInterview community, neighbors re: flooding and landscaping


1430 10th High efficiency clothes washers, new irrigation controllers

1442-46 10th “” at 1446

1501-05 9th High efficiency clothes washers, new irrigation controllers

1734/36 9th Investigate interest around com. garden

Greywater to Landscape


“” Community garden

11


EBMUD Water Conservation Support and Services

We researched the services that EBMUD provides for water conservation. We researched the water rates, availability of free water audits and rebates offered. We determined that several rebates are appropriate for EBALDC properties and these are listed in the Action Plan section.

Water Rates and Conservation Incentives

Potable Water Supply Charges - The rate that EBALDC is charged is the multi-family residential rate of $2.73 per unit (100 cubic feet). There currently are no tiers. According to Hector Dominguez, there are tiered rates available.

Wastewater Charges - The charges are $1.40 per unit, and a reduction in water use would reduce these fees. Any water sent to a dedicated landscape water meter is not charged wastewater fees.

City of Oakland Sewer Charges - These charges are $1.52 per unit, and a reduction in water use would reduce these fees.

Recycled Water - EBMUD currently offers recycled municipal wastewater for a price of $2.34 per unit in a limited service area. While the distribution line is only 1 block from Madison Park Hotel, that property has no landscaping and recycled water is not currently available to permit for indoor use. This issue is discussed further in the Conservation/Reuse section.

On-Site Water Surveys

EBMUD offers free onsite water surveys to customers, but once one has been done, there are time limits until a subsequent audit can be performed. After reviewing the site data with Hector Dominguez, an onsite water survey was performed at 1501 8th Street and it was determined that a leaky toilet had caused high water usage. The leaky toilet was repaired. Currently, the only EBALDC properties eligible for free audits are the following which are not a part of the feasibility study:

-Frank G. Mar Community Housing,!283 13th St Oakland

-Hismen Hin-Nu Terrace, 2555 International Blvd. Oakland

-Jack London Gateway Senior Housing, 989 Brush St Oakland

Is Recycled Water Applicable to For EBALDC?

The feasibility of using recycled municipal wastewater from the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) was evaluated. Recycled water is appropriate for non-potable uses such as landscape irrigation, equipment washing, boiler makeup, water cooling and toilet flushing. EBMUD has a distribution network throughout Oakland. The distribution lines come within two blocks of a grouping of OPLP properties and also within 1/2 block of the Madison Park Hotel. The potential for supplying EBALDC properties with recycled water was evaluated. Ultimately the cost of providing reclaimed water is not in the interest of EBMUD, if the client is going to be using less than 1 million gallons per year.

EBMUD currently provides recycled water to customers for $2.34 per unit (100 cubic feet). The largest user of recycled water is the Chevron refinery in Richmond. It also supplies numerous parks in Oakland. The only indoor use of recycled water is for toilet flushing inside the EBMUD office. According to Lori Steere of EBMUD, the system has not been well received. The water has a pale yellow color and a strong odor of disinfectant. She said “I don’t expect that any new recycled water for toilet flushing systems will be added anytime soon.”

Recycled water is municipal wastewater that has been treated to a tertiary standard and is suitable for non-potable use such as irrigation, toilet flushing and laundry.

Water Conservation & Reuse SolutionsWhat does EBMUD have to offer?

12


EBMUD Rebates

Self Adjusting Irrigation Controller - A self-adjusting irrigation controller controls an irrigation system in response to local weather and soil moisture conditions. This can save significant amounts of water and keep the landscape healthier. Rebates are available for sites where summer water use is at least 750 gallons per day more than winter use due to landscape watering. This rebate is appropriate for San Pablo Hotel.

Mulch - When applied to landscaped areas, mulch helps soil hold moisture, reduces evaporation, minimizes weed growth and builds organic content in soil. EBMUD has coupons for a 5-25 percent discount on mulch. Alternatively, a tree service can be contacted and mulch can generally be obtained free of charge. Adding mulch to the landscaping is appropriate for the following sites: San Pablo Hotel, 919 Chester Street, 963 Center Street,, 1010 Center Street, 1025 Center Street, 1027 Center Street, 1430 10th Street and 1734-36 9th Street,

High Efficiency Clothes Washers - EBMUD provides $100 rebates on high efficiency clothes washers. As of August 2010, there were low efficiency clothes washers installed at 963 Center (2 units), 1430 10th Street, 1446 10th Street, 1501 8th Street, 1734 9th Street and 1736 9th Street. These washers can be replaced with high efficiency models and this water can go to a laundry to landscape graywater system (with the exception of 1446 10th Street).

Water Brooms - Washing sidewalks, patios and floors can use a lot of water. EMBUD offers $150 rebates on the purchase of a water broom (usually cost about $300). Maintenance at the buildings can borrow a water broom from EBMUD first to see if they like it before they decide to use the rebate. Water brooms could be useful at Madison Park Hotel and San Pablo Hotel.

WaterSmart Customized Rebates - EBMUD offers individualized rebates for large water using equipment. The cooling tower at the San Pablo Hotel would be ideal to have it evaluated for a rebate. Dave Wallenstein of EBMUD said that a technician can calculate the amount of water that would be saved over a 10 year period, for example.

Additional Recommendations

The water bills were studied for each site and up to 35 years of data was obtained for some sites. Large spikes in water use were observed for most of the sites at one time or another. Hector Dominguez of EBMUD said that in these cases, the likely cause was a leaky toilet. He said that a leaky toilet can waste up to 1000 gallons per day. He stressed the importance of checking all toilet flapper valves at least once per year. This can easily be combined with a check of smoke detector batteries. Toilet bowl cleaners placed in toilet tanks also erode the rubber on flappers, shortening their life.

Water Conservation & Reuse SolutionsWhat does EBMUD have to offer?

13

GWRW GrWMWReWBWPW

GraywaterRainwater Groundwater Mechanical WaterRecycled WaterBlack WaterPotable Water

MW / RW / RCW /GrW/ GW / BW / PW INSTITUTIONAL

GW / MW / RW / BW / PWCOMMERCIAL

GW / MW/ RW / PW/GrWMULTI-FAMILY

GW / RW / PW/GrWSINGLE FAMILY

RW / GW / PW

What are the alternatives to EBMUD options?

There are multiple onsite water resources we have to work from that can save significantly more money than using reclaimed water from EBMUD. Below is a list of water options, that may be available, depending on site and building conditions.

The scale of the building can also impact what options are available, for example, reclaimed water isn;t even available on buildings using less than million gallons per year, or where lines have not been run. Similarly, smaller buildings don;t have cooling towers, so mechanical water isn;t an option. Below is a list of genreral breakdown of building types and water use options for those types.


AFFORDABLE WATER

SITE STUDIES

water

audit

&

actio

n plan

EBAL

DC

Prepared by Hyphae Design Laboratory


SITE STATISTICS

•141 residents•144 units•70 individual bathrooms, 2

common bathrooms, 2 clinic bathrooms, 1 employee bathroom.

•301,051 gallons consumed per month

•daily water consumption per person of 69 gallons

•4 laundry rooms, producing 201 gallons of graywater on average per day

•significant landscaped patio area

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Dec-94

Dec-95

Dec-96

Dec-97

Dec-98

Dec-99

Dec-00

Dec-01

Dec-02

Dec-03

Dec-04

Dec-05

Dec-06

Dec-07

Dec-08

Dec-09

San Pablo Hotel historical water use

gallo

ns

average gallons per day for a given month

Interior lobby at San Pablo HotelAerial view of the San Pablo Hotel

15


Data AnalysisWe studied building plans, analyzed data and interviewed residents to understand the building water use. The 36 year daily average water consumption at the San Pablo Hotel is 9893 gallons per day. This figures to about 65 gallons per person, per day. 301051 gallons per month.

graywater (shower, laundry and sink) makes up 45% of the total water consumption.

Non-individual use of water such as cooling tower makeup and irrigation water demand makes up 42%.

showerstoiletssinkslaundryother

0

20

40

60

80

jan feb mar apr

may jun jul aug

sep oc

tno

vde

c

Individual water use averages

gallo

ns p

er p

erso

ngppd/month showers 2 toiletssinks toilets

250000

275000

300000

325000

350000

jan feb

mar ap

rm

ay jun jul aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

Average Water use of building per month

Gal

lons

per

mon

th

Water use spikes in the summer, supporting our thought that much of the water is irrigation and cooling towers. Leaps, such as those seen from January to February then to May are most likely due to billing.

44%

3% 19%

14%

21%

GPD Water Use Breakdown

16


Potential Sources for Unknown Water Use• Increased toilet use. It was deciphered from talking to residents that the

seniors use the toilet twice as often as a typical resident, because they tend to be at home most days. They also tend to use the downstairs toilets, much of the day, which are far easier to tap into, for rainwater supply.

• Water tower (could be losing up to 1 gal/min to evaporation)• Industrial laundry Use• Power Washing of sidewalks• Landscape usage (5 minutes a day)

44%

3% 19%

14%

21%

Original Water Use Breakdown

6%

25%

3%

19%

27%

21%

Toilet + Cooling Tower

9%6%

15%

3%

19%

27%

21%

Previous + Industrial Laundry

17

Strategies for Conservation• Submetering different uses

• Cooling Tower Optimization and water reuse

• Graywater collection of laundry, groundfloor showers & sinks to landscape irrigation and/or filtration for further toilet flushing & cooling tower

• rainwater collection of patio/roof area to toilet flushing/ landscape irrigation/ laundry use, and cooling tower

Using normal indoor use calculations, for typical multifamily homes, significant (44%) of the water use is unaccounted for i at San Pablo hotel.

In this revised chart, we doubled the toilet use estimate, based on user interviews, and we added a modest calculation for Cooling Tower use, but still 25% of water is unaccounted for.

In this revised chart, we still doubled the toilet use estimate, but also increased the Cooling Tower use. We then added two other uses, as well as added two other, unaccounted for uses, 1) the industrial laundry, for the clinic, and 2) irrigation use and water other outdoor water used by maintenance staff for washing sidewalks. (use numbers based on maintenance staff estimates)

showerstoiletssinkslaundryothercooling towerindustrial laundryirrigation & Street Washing


Water UseIt is our hypothesis, that the cooling tower is one of the most significant water draws on the building, it would be important to begin submetering the cooling tower, to confirm this assumption. Through optimization, and adaption of the on and off cycling ranges, significant savings could be made. Rainwater, and even graywater could be treated to supply the cooling tower, further reducing water usage.

Water Conservation Strategies• 1st, Water sub-meter for Cooling Tower • 2nd, calibration and performance optimization of existing cooling tower• 3rd, Cooling Tower water supply from rainwater and water reuse on

landscape, or toilet flushing.• 4th, a more efficient cooling tower

Simulation modelBelow is a simulation model created to estimate water use and efficiency of the San Pablo Cooling Tower. We used standard hot and cold water temperatures, and wet bulb temperatures, to run the model. More accurate, calculations could be developed, if we were to base this on actual building statistics, and cooling tower settings. The various lines on the graph to the right, represent water usage against the range set for the cooling tower to cycle on and off. More water is used when a larger temperature range is needed to be made up. Similarly, the x-axis represents wet-bulb temperature, which factors in humidity, or in human terms, the comfort level of the space. The more humid the space, the more water is used to cool it.

18

Cooling Tower Meter Location Draindown can be easily collected.Leaking Make-Up Valve Flow metering in Basement

4,000 gallons per day are used in the cooling tower!

COOLING TOWER


0

7,500

15,000

22,500

30,000

jan feb mar apr

may jun jul aug

sep oc

tno

vde

c

Collectable rainwater vs laundry demand

gallo

ns

average roof runoffaverage water use (GW production) production from laundry

RAINWATER• rainwater collection of patio/roof

area to toilet flushing/ landscape irrigation/ laundry use

• The inner courtyard patio is already designed to collect rainwater runoff and then convey it to a sump in the basement. This can be easily modified to collect rainwater for indoor reuse.

Inner courtyard patio

The conveyance lines are highlighted in red showing the path from the patio to the sump in the basement

Water from basement sump is pumped to the storm sewer

Rainwater from the roof is conveyed to the storm sewer at this grate

19


RAINWATER

Storage size Ground Level PatioGround Level Patio & SW

RoofGround Level Patio & SW Roof &

SE Roof

1000 10,081 80,400 126,209

2000 10,481 80,400 128,209

5000 11,481 80,400 134,209

10000 11,981 80,400 138,112

15000 12,848 80,400 138,112

Stormwater Management CalculationsPlease note that water savings for small amounts of storage are skewed because the storage tank should be large enough to hold an average 2-yr 12-hr event in order to achieve estimated savings as well as improve stormwater runoff. “2-yr 12-hr event” is a statistical calculation of the amount of rain over a 12-hour period, from a rainstorm, that will occur every 2 years. This storm event is used, because it is the standard adopted by California’s Regional Water Board for Federal NPDES compliance, as well as for LEED calculations. From a stormwater quality control standpoint, the 2-yr statistic represents the majority of storms, rather than an anomaly, like a 10, 25, or 50 year event rainfall, therefore maximizing your stormwater management solution, for treating and reusing the most storms with the least space.

Annual Water Savings if captured RW is used to flush two downstairs toilets & Industrial Laundry & Refill Cooling Tower

Storage size Ground Level PatioGround Level Patio & SW

RoofGround Level Patio & SW Roof &

SE Roof

1000 16,114 22,096 24,113

2000 17,114 23,096 25,113

5000 20,114 26,096 28,113

10000 25,114 29,200 29,200

15000 29,200 29,200 29,200

Annual Water Savings if captured RW is used to flush two downstairs toilets

20

Potential Offset Calculations While many people would believe the bigger the tank you have the more savings; in fact, in almost all situations the 10,000 and 15,000 gallon tanks do not save significantly more water than a 5,000 tank. With more refined cooling tower demand calculations and total toilet usage calculations, even more precise tank size can be calculated, to maximize the reuse potential.

Retrofit Tank SolutionsBecause of limited access to the basement of San Pablo Hotel, our proposal is to utilize, “pillow tanks” such as the one pictured below. These tanks are made of a kevlar type material and used in military and relief applications. Overtime, they have become a mainstay for rainwater harvesting retrofit projects, where getting a large tank into a basement or even backyard is prohibitively expensive. The tanks can also be custom fabricated, to fit into currently unused,long and narrow space between the structural steel and wood posts in the San Pablo Hotel basement.


Cooling Tower Meter Location

0

1,250

2,500

3,750

5,000

greywater blackwater

Greywater vs. Blackwater

gallo

ns

per

day

GPD wastewater production

much pipework is intricately complexgroundfloor restrooms can be accessesed

• Gray water could most easily be captured for irrigation, but would require redesign of landscape and irrigation system

• Graywater collection of laundry/showers & sinks to landscape irrigation/ filtering for toilet flushing & cooling tower

• Graywater could be mixed with rainwater and potable supplies to meet cooling tower demand.

• Could be very challenging to permit.

• Not enough 1st floor toilet demand to warrant filtration for that alone

21

GRAYWATER


LANDSCAPE POTENTIALWhile the San Pablo Hotel landscape is in disrepair, and in need of serious maintenance, it has incredible potential, especially considering, that the residents spend a significant amount of time at home. If we could make the landscape inviting, and create more activity spaces outside, I believe residents would use it more. From simple raised gardens, the tenants could use without bending over, to chess tables, and even outdoor, TV watching areas!This would provide the residents, more fresh air, and more activity options than simply sitting in the common room. EBALDC could harness this great opportunity to replace the landscape, and create better programed uses, while using the opportunity to install a graywater-fed irrigation system in some areas and low water use plants in others. We deduced from speaking with the maintenance personnel and observing water data, that in addition to the cooling tower, the currently inefficient landscape contributes to the significant spike in summer water use.

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Rainwater Materials Cost

Pillow Tanks ($1.40 - $2.50 per

gallon)

$6,000.00

Pump & Accessories $2,500.00

Indexing Valve & Accessories $850.00

Controls * Monitoring $1,250.00

DWV Fittings $650.00

Inspection $450.00

Pressurized Piping $1,200.00

Pre-filtration $150.00

Filtration & UV Sterilization $2,000.00

Material Total $13,050.00

Rainwater Labor

* Plumbing to Toilets($600-$1200

per fixture)

$3,600.00

Plumbing SW Roof $900.00

Plumbing to Cooling Tower $1,500.00

Plumbing Pump & Filters $3,000.00

Permit & Design Fees $4,000.00

Labor Total $13,000.00

Laundry Graywater to Landscape

Graywater Materials Cost

BRAC RGW-450 $2,000.00

Pump & Accessories $500.00


Backflow Preventer $700.00

DWV Fittings $1,250.00

Irrigation Lines $6,000.00

Potable Make-up $350.00

Inspection $450.00



Graywater Labor

*Plumbing for Graywater

Capture ($600-$1200 per

fixture)

$3,600.00

Irrigation Installation $10,000.00



Rainwater to 1st Floor Toilets & Cooling Tower

Action Plan - Individual Sites

San Pablo Hotel

This site has great potential for water efficiency, reuse and greening. In our analysis of the water data, we estimate that 44% of the water is going to ‘other’ uses which includes the cooling tower, landscape, cleaning and washing surfaces and potential leaks. It is important to investigate where this water is going. We suggest putting submeters on the cooling tower, landscape and the power washer. Data from this new metering can help us to find inefficient and wasteful uses of water.

It is important to determine how efficiently the cooling tower is operating because this could be a source of significant water waste. EBMUD can do an analysis of the cooling tower to check its performance and to see if it is eligible for a rebate. Submeters should be installed for both the cooling tower and the landscape. Mulch should be applied to the landscape for irrigation efficiency and soil health. Self adjusting irrigation controllers should be installed and an EBMUD rebate should be applied for.

This site has great potential for a rainwater catchment system to supply toilet flushing on the first floor. There is already a system installed which collects rainwater from the inner courtyard and then drains it to a sump. The water is then pumped to the storm drain. Instead of sending this water to the Bay, the water can be stored in the basement in pillow tanks and then utilized to flush toilets on the first floor. Costs for pumping to the first floor toilets are offset by reduced pumping to the storm sewer. Graywater from the onsite clothes washing machines can be utilized to water planter boxes or a green wall in the interior courtyard as well as the ground level landscape.

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* Line Items with Greatest Variability Total Potable Savings = 20,000-100,000 gallonsTotal Potable Savings = 80-130,000 gallons

* Rough Estimate, because there was no meter for

landscape usage


MADISION PARK APARTMENTSLocation:100 9th Street, Oakland CA

• 150 residents• 98 units• 98 individual bathrooms, 2 common restrooms• monthly average building water consumption of

503,592 gallons• daily water consumption per person of 113 gallons• 8 laundry machines, producing 226 gallons of

graywater on average per day• no landscape 0

38

75

113

150

jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec

Madison Park Apartments individual water use averages

gallo

ns p

er p

erso

n

month

gpcd total/month gpcd BW/month gpcd GW/month

Madison Park building plansAerial ViewView from the north24

Spring and summer peak water usage is hard to explain at Madison Park, since there is no landscape or cooling towers. It is t h o u g h t t h a t p o t e n t i a l l y w a t e r increases, because older resident, may h a v e y o u n g grandchildren visiting m o r e d u r i n g t h e summer.


shower toilets sinkslaundry roof runoff

0

17500

35000

52500

70000

jan feb

mar ap

rm

ay jun jul aug

sep

oct

nov

dec

roof runoff vs water demands

gallo

ns p

er m

onth

month

0

1750

3500

5250

7000

graywater blackwater

graywater vs blackwater

gallo

ns p

er d

ay

source type

18%

3%

20%

14%

45%

GPD Breakdown

Showers Toilets SinksLaundry Other

Informal basement art gallery25


0

10000

20000

30000

40000

Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Supply and demand for 10,000 gallons storage

Rainwater Runoff not captured

Amount of laundry demand not met by stored rainwater.

0

2500

5000

7500

10000


Supply and demand for 2,000 gallons storage

Discharge from whole roof (gallons/month) Laundry demand2000 & 10,000 gallon water level

Total Potable Savings

63,000 gallons

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Total Potable Savings

70,000 gallons

With rainwater systems, it is extremely important to optimize the tank size, since storage is one of the greatest expenses. The graph above shows how the 2,000 gallon tank provides almost as much water savings as the larger tank, with only 1/5th the tank size!

Easily replumbed with rainwater from one point

And Greywater collected from one point


0

1500

3000

4500

6000


GW from Shower to Toilet (on 1 st floor only)

Gal

lons

Toilet Demand GW from Shower Use

Note: Assumes 15 residents on 1st floor and that each resident showers once per day for 5 minutes and uses the toilet 5 times per day. These calculations are based on standard LEED calculations. Actual shower usage, is likely higher.

Graywa te r Reuse from Shower to Toilet Madison Park building plans were studied to understand how many showers and toilets could easily be tapped into on the first floor. Through both plan site investigation we discovered that there is easy access to bathroom graywater drainage in the basement. Retrofit plumbing, could be done non-intrusively, and most of the treated graywater supply lines back to the toilets could also be done in the basement, without requiring cosmetic retrofits to the bathrooms. From the easily accessible bathrooms alone, roughly 3,000 gallons per month, or 35,000 gallons per year could be saved.

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Diversion point

Shower connection


Action Plan for Madison Park

Madison Park Apartments

Madison Park has several features which make it very attractive for water reuse. There is a large roof which can easily catch rainwater. There is a large basement. Although the basement does not have a high clearance or a large point of access to allow the entry of water storage tanks, there is a large amount of open floor space which can accommodate pillow tanks for rainwater storage. Rainwater can be used to satisfy the laundry demand of the building for 7 months of the year while utilizing only a 2,000-gallon storage tank. This would save approximately 63,000 gallons of potable water annually.

There is an exciting opportunity for Madison Park Apartments to be the site for a pilot project for a Pontos graywater treatment system. Pontos systems are designed to use water from showers and sinks and then this water can be used to flush toilets. Pontos systems are in use in Germany, but have not yet been approved in the United States. The company is trying to get systems in place in this country to demonstrate their effectiveness. Pontos is interested in donating a system to EBALDC and therefore, the only installation cost would be for plumbing the system. The feasibility of a Pontos system must also be evaluated from the standpoint of plumbing accessibility. In order for this system to work, the shower and sink plumbing must be accessible so that it can be accessed before it joins blackwater plumbing from toilets.

BRAC graywater systems can treat laundry water and supply this water for toilet flushing. BRAC is also interested in doing a pilot project to demonstrate the use of graywater for toilet flushing. The bank of 8 clothes washers is easy to access and provides an ideal source of graywater. The 175 gallons of laundry graywater is sufficient quantity to flush the common toilets in the basement and the resident toilets on the first floor. The water can be treated with a BRAC treatment system and then pumped to supply the toilets. This would save an additional 63,000 gallons per year for a total savings of 126,000 gallons annually.

In addition to water reuse, Madison Park has excellent potential for the installation of planters and trellised vines in the lightwell courtyards and fire escape areas. These “living walls” could improve the air quality, and beautify these spaces, and provide character.

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BRAC RGW-250 $2,462.00

External Filter $300.00


DWV Fittings $650.00

Potable Make-up $600.00

Inspection $1,500.00


Graywater Labor

Plumbing from laundry machines

to BRAC system

$1,200.00

Plumbing from BRAC system to

toilets ($600-1200 per fixture)

$2,400.00



Scenario 1 - Supply 2 Toilets with Graywater from Laundry


BRAC RGW-450 $3,012.00

External Filter $500.00

Indexing Valve & Accessories $1,000.00


Potable Make-up $1,350.00

Inspection $3,000.00


Greywater Labor

Plumbing from 17 showers and sinks to

BRAC system

$11,200.00

Plumbing from BRAC system to 19

toilets

$15,000.00

Total $38,062.00

Scenario 2 - Supply 19 Toilets with Graywater from Showers and Sinks

Rainwater Materials Cost

Pillow Tanks ($1.40 - $2.50 per gallon) $1,450.00

Pump & Accessories $1,500.00




Backflow $600.00

Inspection $950.00


Rainwater Labor

Plumbing for Rainwater Capture from

Roof

$3,600.00

Plumbing to Laundry $4,000.00

Total $14,750.00

Rainwater to Laundry System

Cost Estimates

Note: Estimates are based on standard “per fixture” costs we have received from local Oakland plumbers. These estimates do not reflect the actual site specific costs, based on site visits, or

drawings. These estimates are also baseline, costs for the systems to be installed, higher levels of automation, control, and metering are not included, but can be estimated

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Total Potable Savings = 70,000 gallonsTotal Potable Savings = 40,000 gallonsTotal Potable Savings = 8,000-12,000 gallons


hyphae stop waste

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