The purpose of this project is to create a cost efficient rain catching system on the wharf to provide additional water to the Santa Cruz boardwalk to use. The extra water caught by the sturdy rain catchers will be used for gardening, appliances, bathrooms, and many other applications.

Santa Cruz is known as a somewhat eco-friendly destination for many
people. Therefore, it would only make sense to make the Santa Cruz Wharf as
sustainable as possible. By doing so it would be critical to build a rainwater
catchment system. Rainwater catchment systems are used to gather/store water
before the water is soaked into the ground or drained into the ocean. By catching
rainwater before it penetrates the ground, households and businesses can become
more sustainable and not depend so much upon the Loch Lomond reservoir for
their water. Some may argue that the rainwater catchment system would not be
effective, however it does show and promote a more sustainable way of living that
may lead to these systems to be used not only for commercial use, but also for
common households. In order to get the rainwater catchment system installed, the
businesses on the wharf must be willing to work with the idea. After the businesses
are willing to work with us, we then must go to the city to see what regulations are
in place concerning rainwater catchment systems. After that, we would have to
contact certain companies that specialize in rainwater catchment systems in order
to see exactly how much and how big the system will be. We would then choose an
area with a sloped roof to install the rainwater catchment system in order to
increase the water flow into the system. As of now we do not have any mentors but
we would most likely be able to use someone associated with the Green Wharf
Project to help due to the fact they have already gotten several sustainable energy
projects going on out on the wharf anyways. The estimated cost of the rainwater
catchment system would be around 4,000 dollars but it is difficult to say because
each company specializing in rainwater catchment systems charge different
amounts and the parts can vary in cost. In order to receive the money for this
project, we would most likely need to find grants in order to pay for the majority of
the costs.