REVIEW: E-Vap Cap

The E-Vap Cap has been specifically designed for open water storage to provide a barrier between water and atmosphere, completely preventing evaporation.

New Mexico Problems

1) Drought Problems: New Mexico relies exclusively on ground water for its water supply. More than 80% of the water currently consumed in New Mexico is for agriculture and not residential usage. In Deming, NM a law was recently passed that would  limit new household (domestic) wells to an acre-foot of water per year (as opposed to 3 acre-ft of water per year), a 66 percent reduction from the current allotment. An acre-foot, about 326,000 gallons, can meet the annual water needs of one to two U.S. households. In Deming, NM the price for a new well permit went from $5 to $125 per application, but wells for livestock were excluded.

Facts: Evaporation is a major source of water depletion in Deming, NM.  It is predicted that air temperatures will be increasing by up to 7 degrees over the next few decades, decreased moisture levels and increasing water demand.

Although the city of ABQ is building a treatment plant to treat Rio Grande water, the city is allowed only so much water to be drawn.

2) Flooding Problems: In New Mexico when it rains, it is said to rain all at once. When there is flooding, a lot of ground water is left standing and a lot of mosquitoes are attracted to the area. New Mexico has had cases of West Nile Virus caused by the mosquitoes. Although the State environmental officials plan to help New Mexico communities figure out how to before new, lower federal standards go into effect in January 2006, the flooding may increase the risk that people may be exposed to arsenic not only through drinking water, but indirectly though food crops irrigated by contaminated groundwater. (Example: In the west-southwest of Bangladesh, where the highest concentrations of arsenic are found in soil, irrigated land had higher levels compared to adjacent non-irrigated fields. See Studies abroad)

Ferns Remove Arsenic from Soil and Water. Note: Ferns are also being used to remove arsenic from drinking water. In a recent pilot study in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the ferns significantly decreased the level of arsenic in samples of the city's drinking water. Other plants should be tested for this ability. Scientists are genetically modifying trees to remove environmental toxins. "Current methods to rid dirt of these poisons run about $1 million per acre-foot of earth (the volume of a foot-deep acre of soil). Using plants to do the same job, on the other hand, costs about $3,000."

According to Albuquerque-AP -- Two plants will be built on Albuquerque's West Side to remove arsenic from water. Federal regulations cutting the amount of arsenic allowed in drinking water go into effect in 2006. The plants will cost about $2.5 million. They're being built by a private water company, New Mexico Utilities Incorporated. That company serves about 14,000 customers in northwest Bernalillo County.  (Want to know how many wells there are in Deming, NM? FREE TESTS OF PRIVATE DOMESTIC WELLS)


Drought Conditions 2012 - There is unusual rainfall patterns this year.

Possible Solutions:
The E-Vap Cap has been specifically designed for open water storage to provide a barrier between water and atmosphere, completely preventing evaporation.

The E-Vap Cap product is said to also reduce algal and weed growth, and reduce salt build up in storage area, maximizing rainfall water, reducing odor on sites and reduces the wave action that causes bank erosion on unlined storages.

"E-Vap Cap is made from Polyethylene. It is multi-layered, 0.5mm thick and contains buoyancy cells trapped within the layers of material, which allow the material to float above the water. The top layer is white and is UV stabilised to reflect sunlight away. The bottom layer is black to reduce the sunlight entering through the cover and to stop any biological activity below the cover. The material is sunlight and air impervious, and hinders any water growth activity. The quality of the Polyethylene used for the E-Vap Cap is food grade material, so it will not contaminate water." It might also hinder reduce the mosquitoe population."

The E-Vap Cap is currently being used in vineyards, on farms, cattle properties and in the horticulture industry.

"The material is custom sized and shaped for every site and pre-fabricated in large panels for ease of installation. These panels are anchored on one end of the dam and rolled out to the other side using supplied rope. The panels are then thermally welded together using a purposely-designed machine Warwick calls the Water Whizz. The Water Whizz travels between the preview panel and propels itself across the water between two panels, like a floating sewing machine, thermally welding panel sides together. The cover is secured by trenches dug into the dam walls to prevent it from blowing away in high wind conditions. If wildlife need access, covers can be built with an area of exposed edge."

"The cover has been designed with drainage holes drilled through the material to allow rainwater to fall onto the cover and into the storage area, and to emit any gas build up which could occur below the surface of the cover. The E-Vap Cap material has a slight stretch to it, which allows for varying water levels."

"The cover has been independently tested and results show evaporation is reduced by close to 100%. Andrew Moon, a melon grower in Queensland's South West, has installed the cover on this four-hectare farm. He says he has cut evaporation down next to nothing. The cover is stretched across 40,000 square metres, twice the surface area of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Uncovered storage such as that could lose at least one third of its water to evaporation."