The University of Georgia Costa Rica 2014-2015 Sustainability Report UGA Costa Rica 2014 - 2015 Sustainability Report | Page 19

UGA Costa Rica Water Consumed for Non-Agricultural Purposes

2000
1500
1000

5

Ma

y1

3
No
v.
13
Ja
n.
14
Ma
r.
14
Ma
y1
4
Ju
l. 1
4
Se
p.
14
No
v.
14
Ja
n.
15
Ma
r.
15

p.
1

3

Se

l. 1

3

Ju

y1

3
r.
1

Ma

Ja

Ma

0

13

500

n.

Water Consumption (gallons)

2500

Precipitation

spikes in water consumption. The
first such spike is in April 2013, a
month with only a total of 27.94
mm of precipitation. The second
such spike begins in March 2014,
a month with only a total of 6.604
mm of precipitation. Both of these
spikes in consumption occurred
during the dry season, when low
volumes of rainfall forced UGA
Costa Rica to use water from
the aqueduct system to irrigate
the farm, resulting in a large
increase in water consumption.
Consequently, the campus
was only able to meet its water
consumption goals for 8 months
between May 2013 and May 2015.
Studies performed on campus
revealed a negative correlation
between rainfall and water
consumption. As rainfall
decreased, water consumption
increased. It is believed that
El Niño weather patterns are
responsible for the lack of rainfall
and climate change models

Water consumed (m3)

Goal

project increased frequency of El
Niño events.
Maintaining farm activities during
the dry season represents a major
challenge moving forward for the
campus. In light of the region’s
dependence on water to carry out
agriculture, new systems of water
storage and usage may need to be
employed. Methods of achieving
this include more efficient
irrigation techniques, capturing
and storing water, planting more
drought tolerant crops, and using
special soil tilling practices.
Equally important to how the
campus consumes water is how
it handles waste water, which is
where the two biodigesters on
campus come into play. The larger
biodigester processes wastewater
in approximately 8 days, and
the smaller one processes
wastewater in approximately 23
days. There are significant benefits
to using a biodigester in lieu of
other wastewater systems. The

The UGACR campus was able to meet its
water consumption goals for a total of
8 months between May 2013 and May
2015.

biodigester, which has extremely
little maintenance needs, does
not create leakage problems. In
addition to producing no odors,
the quality of the outgoing water
far surpasses that of Costa Rican
standards, measuring 99% free
of contaminants. Because the
system is located down slope of
campus facilities, the biodigester
requires no energy inputs to move
wastewater. Methane, which is
lighter than the surrounding air,
is able to naturally rise and satisfy
some of the kitchen’s energy
needs. More information on the
biodigester serving energy needs
can be found on page 36. UGACR
has assisted in the completion
of 14 biodigesters in the San
Luis community, undoubtedly
contributing to an increase in water
quality in the surrounding area.
2014 – 2015 Sustainability Report

19