Feasibility of rainwater harvesting on Scott Laboratory

Abstract

Water conservation has risen to be an important issue in today's society. We analyzed the applicability of a rainwater collection system on a major building in the north academic core of The Ohio State University. This was done by doing environmental and economic analyses on the tanks that would be placed at Scott Laboratory. The economic analysis determined the system's financial profile by comparing projected costs of utilizing varying tank sizes, while the environmental impacts were determined through use of Sustainable Minds' Life Cycle Assessment software. It was found that over the course of a year, over 1,700 lbs. of CO2 would be prevented from being released into the atmosphere and that the tanks' initial cost would break-even in less than 2 years as a result of the building's reduced water usage.