Case Study: First Flush Study

The First Flush Project is centred on rainwater harvesting on the Island of Bermuda, a practice which has not only been an integral part of the Island’s cultural and architectural heritage for almost 400 years but is also a legal requirement. 

The project addresses the clean water challenge faced on the island. Bermuda largely depends on roof rainwater catchment systems for residential drinking water, as well as on electric energy produced from coal-fired power plants. Soot fallout from these plants contaminate drinking water and pose health risks to residents.

Koom Consulting is the designer, coordinator and technical advisor of the First Flush Project. The two key objectives of the First Flush Project are; (1) A feasibility study and incorporation of first flush diverter technology into Bermuda building architecture as a means of mitigating the accumulation of sediments and other contaminants in rainwater storage tanks, and (2) the generation of a database of empirical data that will serve to better understand and monitor the relationship between atmospheric contamination, changing weather patterns and harvested rainwater quality. 

Project Partners: Earth Forward Group (EFG), Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce (BEST), Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)