ENGS 89/90 Reports

Year of Graduation

2025

Project Advisor

Adam Pollack

Instructor

Solomon Diamond

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Mexico City faces a severe water crisis, with millions of residents lacking reliable access to clean water. Isla Urbana, a non-profit organization that develops rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems to address this issue, has installed over 43,000 systems to provide essential water for underserved communities. However, a key challenge remains: there is no reliable way to measure the amount of water harvested by these systems. The current water meters in use are expensive, technically complex, and often require Wi-Fi for operation, making them inaccessible in many locations. To address this, the team found a cost-effective, simple, and accessible water meter and designed a dual-sensor data collection process. This dual-sensor design combines a mechanical counter to track total water volume and a removable digital sensor to measure instantaneous flow rates. This design prioritizes affordability and is adaptable to different system configurations and locations, enabling Isla Urbana to gather reliable, verifiable data on water harvesting. The digital sensor provides real-time data on flow rates, allowing Isla Urbana to assess the impact of their RWH systems on local flooding during storms. The modular design helps reduce costs by allowing for the deployment of the digital sensor only where necessary. The system processes data locally using an Arduino and stores it on an SD card, which can be periodically collected without needing Wi-Fi. Additionally, the Python-based data aggregation platform analyzes and validates the data, providing Isla Urbana with actionable insights to improve water access, reduce flooding, and enhance overall impact.

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