The Development and Application of CISMOD 1.0, a New Computerized Tool for Designing Wildlife Rainwater Cisterns

This article reports on a case study of the research and development of a new tool to assist in the design of rainwater cisterns. A rainwater cistern is a way to improve wildlife habitat because it can be situated in locations that do not have natural water sources, such as streams or wells that can supply water for storage. However, the design and sizing of such a system can be challenging because a number of constantly varying factors must be considered, such as changing precipitation patterns, the evaporative losses from the cistern and animal water consumption. No standardized sizing methodology currently exists for designing wildlife rainwater cisterns. In this article we present a new method for assisting in optimally sizing a rainwater cistern. We discuss how we implemented the quantitative portion of this methodology into a new Excel? model called CISMOD, which we configured for general use by wildlife professionals. We describe the methodology for designing a rainwater cistern based on standard engineering techniques. We then present and discuss our experience in applying the model to design two rainwater cisterns in an area of the Jemez Mountains in northern New Mexico, USA. The CISMOD model and a user manual are available at no cost for wildlife professionals.