Water Conservation Projects
The cisterns and rain garden at the Aquarium on Roanoke Island saved over 70,000 gallons of municipal water in the first year of operation.
Water conservation has been of great concern in our state with the recent droughts. The three North Carolina Aquariums use cisterns to catch rainwater that is used to reduce demand on municipal water supply systems.
The Aquariums on Roanoke Island and at Pine Knoll Shores have installed large systems with capacities of 10,000 and 18,000 gallons, respectively. Both systems incorporate “rain gardens” to accommodate cistern overflow. The Aquarium at Fort Fisher uses a smaller system in conjunction with its greenhouse and plant nursery.
The Pine Knoll Shores facility features another water-saving device — the Zenon wastewater treatment system. The system uses relatively new technology to reclaim wastewater for use in flushing toilets. This use alone saves up to 1,000 gallons of water per day. The water can also be used for drip irrigation in the landscape.
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The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher saved 680,000 gallons of water in 2008 by:
• Upgrading the HVAC cooling tower
• Installing aerators on bathroom faucets
• Requiring shut-off nozzles on all hoses
• Increasing drought-tolerant species in plant collection
• Modifying irrigation schedules
• Developing more efficient schedules for wash-downs, backwashes and other
filtration maintenance (All of our aquatic exhibits are closed systems, in which
water is treated, filtered and recycled.)
• Redesigning bathrooms to include, low-flow toilets, and motion-sensors for sinks
• Encouraging divers to take “navy showers”
• Curtailing vehicle washing
• Reporting and repairing all leaks
• Requiring staff to participate in water conservation training