the water cell

 The watercell is an engineered, high volume rainwater harvesting, storage and reticulation system, and an integrated OSD (Onsite Stormwater Detention) system which forms an integral part of a new building of any type or use.

The watercell is contained within the building footprint and the components are accessible, serviceable, maintainable, replaceable, recyclable and affordable.

The storage cell is manufactured from recyclable polyethylene to USFDA and EC compliance for food contact and drinking water.

Immediate implementation of watercell technology will:

Deliver an immediate clean water supply for that project,
simultaneously ease the demand on the existing centralised water supply system,
extend the life of existing stormwater infrastructure, and
significantly reduce the cost of new stormwater infrastructure in perpetuity.

Watercell technology delivers a potable water supply at a reasonable and sustainable cost to all buildings – not just houses.

The watercell is intended to be located within the subfloor space of any building (i.e. under the floor) but can be located anywhere within a commercial or industrial building that has been designed to withstand the resultant hydrostatic pressure.

The watercell comprises a storage cell, a structural container (usually the subfloor structure of the building) and appropriate plumbing fitted with a pump.

A storage cell is a non-structural element, which takes the shape of its container.

A typical storage cell is 6 metres x 4 metres x 0.7 metres deep and will have a storage capacity of 16,000 litres.

Each storage cell is a seamless or welded, closed bag, manufactured from thin, flexible, impermeable, non-toxic, hygienic material and fitted with integral inlet and outlet spigots.

Any number of storage cells can be connected in series.

Appropriate plumbing allows additional storage cells to be added in series at any time, or allow any particular storage cell or cells to be isolated, removed or replaced for any reason if required.

Construction of the building subfloor must include provision for sub-soil drainage, cross-ventilation, vermin proofing, physical barriers for the prevention of raising damp and termite infestation and also to allow for inspection of the watercell and the building subfloor structure generally.

Environmental Focus

Watercell technology harvests rainwater, a naturally occurring resource, which is essentially discarded and wasted in urban areas.

Watercell technology does NOT:

• adversely impact on the amenity of the building or the open space environs around the building in which it is contained,
• utilise any chemicals or involve any chemical treatment or processes,
• utilise any environmentally unsustainable processes or practices nor produce any environmentally undesirable by-products or waste,
• directly or indirectly, result in the production of greenhouse gas emissions.

Rainfall patterns in Australia generally, and along the entire east coast of Australia in particular, are irregular with lengthy periods of virtually no rainfall, punctuated by unpredictable spasmodic short storm bursts of extremely high rainfall intensity which cause nuisance flooding and at times significant damage.

The east coast of Australia does not have a defined seasonal wet or dry period and the intensive storms can occur during almost any month of the year.

Our studies reveal that these intensive storms can yield as much as 20% of the total annual household water usage within a 3 or 4 day period.

Therefore it is most important that the storage capacity of a rainwater harvesting system be large enough to ensure maximum harvest volume during these peak flow conditions.

As a natural consequence of its large harvesting and storage capacity, WaterCell technology provides a very efficient stormwater onsite detention facility.

Implementation of WaterCell technology for any new building will have an immediate advantageous impact on its local environs by reducing the stormwater runoff into the centralised drainage system, and perpetual implementation of WaterCell technology, as new buildings replace old, will eventually eliminate nuisance flooding caused by stormwater runoff.

Cells / bladders are manufactured from recyclable polyethylene to USFDA and EC compliance for food contact and storage of drinking water.