(I09) Georgia Tech's Journey to Permitting a Rainwater to Drinking Water System

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) partnered with the Kendeda Fund to build the most environmentally advanced educational and research facility in the Southeast . The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design (Kendeda) is certified by USGBC as LEED Platinum, LEED Zero Energy Water, and LEED Zero Energy, as well as by the International Living Future Institute as a Living Building. Under the Living Building Challenge v 3.1, the Water Petal intent is "creating developments that operate within the water balance of a given place and climate," which requires net positive water for the site. To achieve this critical goal, rainwater captured from the rooftop is stored in a large cistern, travels through a water treatment skid to two day tanks, and is distributed throughout the building. Our team proactively contacted Georgia Environmental Protection Division to begin discussions on how to permit this innovative system. Several unique regulatory challenges were faced during the permitting process. Rainwater harvesting for irrigation has become commonplace, but using rainwater for drinking water is uncommon in advanced countries. Demonstrating that rainwater to potable water system that meets US EPA Drinking Water Standards is not only feasible, but reliable and operationally sound in the Southeast will advance water management and stewardship. This session will discuss in detail the regulatory pathway, operational challenges, and institutional resources needed to successfully navigate and obtain the state of Georgia's first ever Drinking Water Permit for a rainwater Public Water System. Questions that will be addressed: What are the water petal requirements and how did the site meet them? How did you negotiate the permitting pathway? How we managed to obtain the first ever permit of this kind in the State of GA. How others can learn from and improve on our efforts. Subject matter expertise provided.