Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Stormwater management infrastructure has stagnated and can be improved upon. Water detention structures take up excessive amounts of space for their simple function, require many manhours dedicated to traveling to and manually adjusting headgates, and their insufficiency to accurately deliver water to agricultural communities leads to wasted water in places where water rights are already spread thin and smart water usage is critical. The product we are developing aims to improve upon current water detention systems by addressing these issues. Our next steps include manufacturing prototype head gates, testing them in controlled environments followed by installing and monitoring them at two test sites, and conducting outreach to educate engineering firms and floodplain managers.The ultimate goals of this project are to bring a product to market that can increase the efficiency of detention basins, allowing for a more compact and less costly system. Additionally, it can be used in irrigation settings to reduce labor and increase the accuracy of water delivered to agricultural communities. This system will help communities use what water they have more accurately and efficiently.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
5%
Applied
15%
Developmental
80%
Goals / Objectives
The major goal of this project is to continue development on the SteadyFlow gate and introduce it to the market.Mechanical FunctionalityProve the mechanical functionality and feasibility of our product through multiple prototypesMechanical function of the gate works properlyThe release of water from the gate stays constant and is accurateThe apparatus constructed around each gate does not hinder its performanceStakeholder feedbackEngage in lunch and learnsAttend conferencesFurther our designStreamlinethe design of our innovation for manufacturingProve our simulations through rigorous testingOptimize installation of our product
Project Methods
Efforts - There will be three avenues that we will take for outreach. Our primary method for conveying this information to engineering firms will be through lunch and learns. We will be visiting their offices and buying them lunch in return for them giving us the time to educate them on what we are doing. We plan to do twenty-five of these throughout the grant period to have some firms ready to implement the SteadyFlow gates into their future projects.Another method we will be using to educate end users on our product will be through conferences. We will be attending the CASFM (Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers) and ASFPM (Association of State Floodplain Managers) annual conferences in 2025 and 2026. We will have vendor booths for the SteadyFlow gate at all four of these conferences and would hope to present at some of them.The final method of gaining our market traction will be digital. Near the beginning of the grant period, we will use TABA funds to create a SteadyFlow gate website.Evaluation - The first round of testing will occur at the Canon City Water Treatment Facility. We will be testing the full 050505H SteadyFlow gate, so we will need to create a way for us to adjust its horizontal functionality and measure the float position throughout the test. We will also verify that our horizontal functionality provides a watertight seal when fully closed.The next phase of testing will happen at the USBR Hydraulic Laboratory in Denver, CO. At the lab, we will dedicate a week to testing the 050505H gate and a week to the 152010H gate. They have a glass wall flume facility which is 4ft wide, 90ft long, and supports a depth almost up to our product's maximum depth. All testing that we will need can be done in this location. This will confirm the work we did at the Water Treatment Facility is accurate on the 050505H gate and will allow us to test the current largest gate we have designed. Besides backing up our previous testing, this will also provide the validity of having our product lab tested.The final stage of testing and proving our research will come in the form of two installation sites. The first is at 3 Rocks Ranch and will be a pond fed by irrigation water. This will provide a good combination of real-world testing and controlled testing because we can measure and control how much water is coming into the pond at any time. We will be installing our largest and smallest gates side by side at the outlet to the pond to test the furthest variations of our product. We will be able to test them in tandem or individually as the horizontal mechanism allows for a full seal.The second installation site is the Lone Tree Reservoir. The goal of testing our product here will be to measure how our gate performs in a constant-use scenario where it is either always holding water back or moving to discharge. Since the existing outflow structure already has measurement equipment to ensure the ditch rider sets the flow as close to the target as possible, it will be easy to monitor the release of our gate and ensure it is accurately providing the required flow. We hope that through this site, we will prove that our gate can maintain consistent discharge over a wide range of headwater and reduce the time needed for the ditch rider to adjust the gate. We will also be able to test the whole horizontal gate functionality very thoroughly. It will need to be adjusted to start discharging the correct head and if they want to fully close it, we will be able to verify the seal functions as intended under a larger head.