Household Water Conservation

Team: 69

School: Socorro High

Area of Science: Computer Science, Environmental Science


Interim: Problem
As the population of the United States grows, and is doing so at a rapid rate, the availability for clean water is slowly diminishing. This is a real problem, as potable and clean water options are a dwindling resource, we as an entire population must work to conserve what we have. By managing where, when, and how much water is used throughout a house, water usage could theoretically be reduced as much as desired by the water provider or the community.

Solution
To manage this water output in a home I have created an arduino which uses an arduino water sensor and a valve attached to the main shutoff pipeline of a home that manages the flow of the water in said individual home, I chose to keep the flow at or below 3.7 gallons per minute at the time of use.

Progress
Thus far, I have completed the code that measures the water’s flow. If the flow rate rises above 3.7 gallons per minute, a signal from the sensor. The 3.7 limit is an adjustable variable that can be changed as needed or to address water quality issues. We must maintain acceptable water flow to ensure chlorine used to treat municipal water systems is not off-gassed as water remains stagnant.

Expected Results
The results I’m expecting are to have a fully finished arduino which measures and reports the water flow in order to maintain a steady water flow from a single pipe line to a home. Ideally, should the water rate increase above acceptable limits, a control valve or pressure release valve would reduce flow into the home during the time of use.


Team Members:

  Joshua Walsh

Sponsoring Teacher: Jay Garcia

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