Annual Model Water
Tower Contest
The Model Water Tower Competition will be held as follows:
When:
December 5, 2015, Saturday
Time:
9:00 AM
Where:
Bayshore High School (Manatee County)
5401 34th St., West Bradenton, FL 34210
(941) 751-7004
There is no cost to enter. To participate, arrive at the check-in with the following
materials:
Bring your completed Model Water Tower.
Bring your completed Registration, a blank form is attached.
Bring your completed Participant Release, a blank form is attached.
Bring your completed Materials List, a blank form is attached.
Top entries in each category will receive cash prizes.
There will also be raffle prizes for participants and a pizza lunch.
Overview
Water is important for all life on this planet, so important that
all cities have a fresh water source. Without fresh water,
there would be no city. This project will help you become
familiar with the importance of water, how it works in your
community and what you can do to ensure this precious
resource remains available now and in the future.
Background
Worldwide 1 in 5 people do not have reliable access to safe
drinking water. That means, over 1 billion people cannot
wake up and brush their teeth in the sink, take a shower or
cook breakfast because no water comes out of the tap.
Everyone needs safe water every day. Without safe
drinking water, you may have to draw water from ponds,
streams or lakes. These water sources can have bacteria or
viruses that make you sick, or contain other types of
pollution.
Safe drinking water doesn’t happen by accident. Drinking
water comes from a source – a river, lake, ocean or
underground aquifer. Then it must be treated. The easiest
water to treat starts off fresh and clean. Dirty water and salt
water are harder to treat. They require removing the
pollution, salt or both.
Once the water is clean and made ready for drinking, it must be distributed. To distribute water to your house
requires pumps, pipelines, and often water towers. Water towers hold a large volume of water and store it high
in the air for pressure and so the water is ready for use at all times.
Each step of the process to bring drinking water to your home requires qualified personnel – scientists,
engineers, operators, managers, construction workers and others – that work to provide safe drinking water to
billions of people every day. These people are known as water professionals.
By participating in the Model Water Tower Contest you are becoming aware of
the importance of safe and reliable drinking water. Just by competing,
you are helping to ensure this life-giving resource is available to all.
Procedure
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Assemble your team of up to 4 participants.
Research the topic. Learn what a water tower is
and how it helps deliver water to your house.
Search the internet or library for real world water
towers and what they do.
Identify objectives and project constraints.
Brainstorm ideas that achieve the objective and
satisfy all constraints.
Select an idea and sketch it out. Identify
materials needed to construct your model.
Build and test your model, refine your design if
needed.
Bring your completed registration and model
water tower and arrive on time to the event.
1) Objective
The objective of your model water tower is to hold a
minimum of 1 gallon of water at a minimum elevation of
18-inches.Scoring will be based on how much water
your model holds, the average height the water is stored
at, how structurally efficient the model is, how cost
efficient the model is and the artistic merit or aesthetic
value of the model. Ensure the model satisfies the
physical constraints of the project and does not leak to
avoid penalties. Read on for additional information.
2) Physical Constraints
The following are the physical constraints for your model water tower:
•
•
•
•
•
Footprint. The size of the base must fit in a limited area. The base must fit in a square 1 foot on
2
each side, or a circle with an area of 1ft .
Height. The bottom of your tank must be at least 18-inches high. The fill line, or overflow level of
your tank, must be no more than 30-inches high.
Volume. Your water tower must hold a minimum of 1 gallon of water.
The draft tube or pipeline used to fill the tower must fit the standard 3/8-inch compression fitting.
(See model standards for details).
Vent or lid, the storage tank must be accessible from the top either through a vent or with a
removable lid.
3) Structural Efficiency
Efficiency is the useful output divided by the total input. A car that travels 40 miles per gallon of gas is more
efficient than a car that travels 20 miles per gallon – it saves money by going farther on less gas. Structural
efficiency is how much water your model holds (the useful ‘output’) divided by the amount of material (the weight
of the model, or the ‘total input’). Structural efficiency is calculated by dividing the weight of the model when it is
empty by the average height of the tank times the amount of water it holds. The lower this number the better.
This is shown with the following formula:
Structural Efficiency =
Weight of the tower when empty (pounds)
Average tank height (ft) × Amount of water the model holds (gal)
3) Budget Efficiency
Budget is the amount of money set aside for a purpose or project. For projects, cost
always matters. No matter how good or important your project is, if it doesn’t fit the budget,
it cannot be built. Budget efficiency measures your ability to plan and build your project
within budget.
The budget for this project is $3. Build your project for less than $3 to earn the best score.
List all items used in your model and their costs on the Materials List Form attached to the back of this packet.
You may use new items or recycled materials as you wish. Where recycled items are used, put the letter “R” in
the cost column. A penalty of 1 pt will be given for each missing receipt or item not listed. No receipt is necessary
for recycled items however the items must be listed on the materials list form. All items used in the construction
of your model must be accounted for; this includes structural materials, glue, nails, and paint, etc. Bring receipts
for all items purchased for your model.
Points will be assigned as follows (the lower the score the better):
Amount
$ 0.00 -$ 3.00
$ 3.01-$ 6.00
$ 6.01-$ 9.00
$ 9.01-$ 12.00
More than $ 12.00
Points Assigned
1 pt
2 pt
3 pt
4 pt
5 pt
Where items are partially used, you may pro-rate the cost. For instance, say you bought a 4oz bottle of glue for
$1.29 including tax, but only used 1oz from the bottle, then you would calculate the pro-rated cost as follows:
$1.29
4
1
$0.32
4) Aesthetic Value
Ever heard of the Roman Aqueduct or the Chicago Water Tower. These are not just ‘infrastructure’ projects
that provide water. They are also sources of civic pride. In Louisville, Kentucky the City of Louisville built the first
ornamental water tower in the US in 1860. The tower was designed to look very ornate. Why did they do this?
Because many people in Louisville were getting sick from contaminated water. The Louisville Water Tower was a
very visible symbol of the City’s new drinking water treatment system. The City made it very noticeable because
they wanted everyone – residents and visitors alike – to see it and know the water was now safe to drink.
We want your designs to be sources of pride too. Be ingenious by making your designs functional and also look
really cool. Even better, make your design reflect something unique about your area. The judges will look at
several items to score Aesthetic Value:
Craftsmanship and Imagination (is the model sturdy, do the parts fit together
nicely, are the design or materials unique?)
Design Ingenuity (does the model have creative ideas, colors or themes?)
Penalties
Keep to the following standards when designing and constructing your model:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2
The base of the model must fit in a square 1 foot on each side, or a circle with an area of 1ft .
The tank must be between 1.5 and 2.5 feet high (See Drawing).
The tank must have a vent or removable lid so air can escape and the judges can fill the model from the
top and tell when it is full.
When full, the tank must hold a minimum of 1 gallon of water. A one point penalty will be assessed for
models that hold less than 1 gal.
Your model should not leak. Hint; test your model to make sure it does not leak and it can hold the weight
of the water!
The model must fit the standard 3/8 inch connector.
Bring receipts for all materials purchased for your model. A one point penalty will be given for each item not
having a receipt (Max of 3 points).
Bring materials list. Three points will be added to the score if a list is not provided.
Models must be designed and built for this year’s competition. You may not re-enter models or reuse
major components from previous competitions.
Penalties will be assessed for not following the above standards. These standards are demonstrated in
the diagram attached at the end of this hand-out.
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in the middle school and high school
categories. The best (lowest) scores win. Prizes will also be awarded for the most creative
design.
Judges decision is final. Most importantly, have fun.
Additional Information
For more information please contact the event organizers as follows:
Heather Manganiello, PE
P: (941)342-2758
Email: [email protected]
Model Water Tower Connector
The standard 3/8-inch diameter push-on connector will be used to test your model. The connector must fit your
model to avoid a penalty. Contact your teacher sponsor with questions.
Vertical tube may be any
diameter - use a reducer
or increaser as necessary
to change tube size
The standard 3/8-inch
diameter connector must
fit at the base of the
model.