ECOVIE Partners with DeKalb Technical College in Rainwater Management and Conservation

ECOVIE (pronounced ECHO – VEE) and DeKalb Technical College have partnered to create an educational project involving rainwater collection. ECOVIE has installed two 2,500 gallon tanks that will collect rainwater from 8,000 square feet of the DeKalb Tech C building at the Clarkston, Ga., campus where the Green Technologies Academy (GTA) is located.

Students in the GTA Program will gain real world knowledge of HVAC instruments by using signal from the system controller, level indicator and a variety of sensors that will then upload directly to a computer and display the information gathered. The tanks will be located on a pad at the GTA wing of the building, and will also have solar panels and other attachments used for teaching.

The newly designed control unit for the system, from Rain Harvest Systems, will measure the tank level, control pump speed and automatically switch water supply to the city mains when the tanks are empty.

"This is the first of hopefully many projects for ECOVIE in which the main goals are to teach about water management and rainwater collection in particular," Bob Drew, ECOVIE founder, said. "Students will learn many technical aspects of system control which can then be taken forward into the workplace. We see education as a key way to build awareness of the benefits of rainwater collection in the community at large."

The school will also be attaching a condensate recovery system to the basins which will drain their extensive refrigeration and HVAC units. Collected water will be used for toilet flushing in the entire C Wing of the building.

"The students were involved in the conceptualization of the water harvesting system," Brian Lovell, director of the GTA program at DeKalb Tech, said. "Bob came to the college a couple times to meet with the students and inspire them to assist in the development of the project. Students have also run a lot of the conduit and cabling associated with the system, so it has been a true collaboration between their instructors, the students, and ECOVIE."

DeKalb Technical College is the preferred, most respected and responsive technical college in the State of Georgia. They are recognized for their student-centered atmosphere of educational excellence and maintain an intellectual environment by encouraging teaching and learning, which inspire the full development of individual goals, abilities, and interests.

About ECOVIE: Atlanta based ECOVIE has a track record of innovative design in rainwater collection and brings decades of water management expertise to a growing industry. The mission of ECOVIE is to help residential homes and commercial businesses collect and use rainwater in order to sustain and enhance the environment. The company specializes in custom design and installation of rainwater collection systems for outdoor and indoor use. This includes comprehensive water management with high-efficiency irrigation, low impact landscaping, and storm water management.

Contact: 
Greg Hughes 404-394-3700
Heather Thompson 404-604-2190