Water Conservation & Protection
Thousands of gallons of treated municipal water is used every year for "grey water" needs. Flushing toilets and watering lawns are a few examples. To reduce the use of treated municipal water, the library has a rainwater harvesting system. Rainfall flows off the roof into drains, then goes through a "vortex filter" to remove large impurities such as leaves and dirt. The vortex filter is quite simple, the water spins, like in a toilet bowl, forcing the solid materials out to the edges and away while the water spins through the centre.
The water is stored underground in a large reservoir behind the library near College Street. The water is then piped separately for the grey water uses mentioned above, first travelling past an ultraviolet light to kill any bacteria in case someone was to accidently drink the water.
In the parking lot there is a special "Stormceptor" connected to the catchment drain. This traps and then prevents sediment and oil from flowing from the parking lot into Brierly Brook.
The Stormceptor is buried in the ground directly behind the library under the laneway.
