Aquascape installs RainXchange in Ghana

ST. CHARLES, Ill. – A team of Aquascape Foundation volunteers installed a 25,000 gallon rainwater harvesting system at the International Needs Network School in Kanuwloe, Ghana the week of February 23. The newly installed RainXchange rainwater harvesting system provides clean drinking water for approximately 700 school children and their families year-round and creates the ability to prepare one hot meal per day.

Ed Beaulieu, director of field research and contractor development for Aquascape designed the school’s rainwater harvesting system to collect run-off from village’s elementary and junior high schools, while Aquascape technical agent Chuck Catton managed construction of the project.

Captured rainwater is stored in a sub-surface chamber then passed through a solar-powered pump, UV filter, and micron filter into a 750 gallon storage tank. The stored rainwater is gravity fed to a faucet for easy access.

“The Kanuwloe village has no direct source of water nearby so the ability to capture, filter, and reuse rainwater is critical to the life and health of the people in this area,” says Carla Wittstock, president of the Aquascape Foundation. “We’re so grateful to have a dedicated team of volunteers who traveled and labored to make this live-saving project a reality.”

The Aquascape Foundation worked with H2O 4 ALL and the I.N. Network in Hudsonville, Michigan to locate a school in need of clean drinking water. The I.N. Network’s mission is to connect partners in community development around the world.

Aquascape Foundation volunteers who participated in the rainwater harvesting project included foundation president Carla Wittstock, Wayne, IL; Aquascape tech manager, Chuck Catton; John Adams of Modern Design Aquascaping in Friendsville, TN;  Diane and Chris Baker of James Ponds in Doylestown, PA; Jaak Harju of Atlantis Water Gardens in Denville, NJ; Kathy Smith of Tropical Water Gardens in DeLand, FL; Jason and Joe Turpin of Turpin Landscaping and Pond Source in Downingtown, PA;  Tom Lupfer of Lupfer Landscaping in Lyons, IL; Steve Tingley from Syracruse, NY; Alan Tingley from Boston, MA; Timothy Muttoo of H2O for All in Canada; and Terry Heyward and Teri Van Hekken of I.N. Network USA in Hudsonville, MI.

For more information on the Aquascape Foundation and its mission, log onto www.aquascapefoundation.org. For information on Aquascape’s RainXchange rainwater harvesting system, visit www.aquascapeinc.com.