TITLE:
The Development and Application of CISMOD 1.0, a New Computerized Tool for Designing Wildlife Rainwater Cisterns
AUTHORS:
Ariel Ortega, Dave Menicucci
KEYWORDS:
Cistern, Wildlife, Design, Sizing, Construction
JOURNAL NAME:
Computational Water, Energy, and Environmental Engineering,
Vol.10 No.2,
April
26,
2021
ABSTRACT: This article reports on a case study of the research and development of a
new tool to assist in the design of rainwater cisterns. A rainwater cistern is
a way to improve wildlife habitat because it can be situated in locations that
do not have natural water sources, such as streams or wells that can supply
water for storage. However, the design and sizing of such a system can be
challenging because a number of constantly varying factors must be considered,
such as changing precipitation patterns, the evaporative losses from the
cistern and animal water consumption. No
standardized sizing methodology currently exists for designing wildlife
rainwater cisterns. In this article we present a new method for assisting in
optimally sizing a rainwater cistern. We discuss how we implemented the
quantitative portion of this methodology into a new Excel? model called CISMOD,
which we configured for general use by wildlife professionals. We describe the
methodology for designing a rainwater cistern based on standard engineering
techniques. We then present and discuss our experience in applying the model to
design two rainwater cisterns in an area of the Jemez Mountains in northern New
Mexico, USA. The CISMOD model and a user manual are available at no cost for
wildlife professionals.