It’s important to understand the essential components of a rain harvesting system so you’ll know how the system works as a whole, the parts you need to purchase, and how to maintain it. Read More
Part two of the rainwater harvesting series brings us to water storage tank materials. The first question I had was what are the most common materials and does it make a difference which material I choose? What I found is that the two most common tanks materials to choose from are corrugated steel or polyethylene (plastic). There are other options out there (cement, stainless steel, and other varieties of metal), but they’re not as common. Based on my findings, here is my conclusion: go with plastic unless you plan to collect truly massive amounts of water, in which case a metal storage container might be a better fit. Read More
After reading the rainwater harvesting blog entry on Montpillard.com, I got to thinking about the topic again in a much larger capacity than my two previous articles on the subject. I started thinking that a rainbarrel sounds pretty wussy-like. I mean, if you’re going to collect rain, collect some RAIN – use it for non-potable purposes such as toilet flushing, washing clothes, and garden/lawn irrigation. And seeing as how we intend on moving to Texas in about a year, harvesting rain will be of even greater importance to us since the amount of rainfall throughout the year in those parts can be pretty slim. Read More
Just to go a bit further into the argument to harvest rain – although hard numbers on how it can positively impact the environment would help make a stronger case, I think the following videos and links provide some pretty solid first hand evidence that it can make a difference environmentally.
Basically, we’re using water faster than Mother Nature can replenish it naturally. So we’re depleting our aquifers and a lesser proportion of water is being returned to them. Typically the water is discharged into rivers and streams carrying with it various levels of pollution, rather than recharging the aquifer it came from.
Anyone questioning the practice of rain harvesting first needs to have a solid understanding of the hydrologic cycle or more simply put, the water cycle. I prefer simple explanations so the Groundwater Foundation’s Groundwater and the Water Cycle article for kids works for me, but they also have a more detailed adult section as well.
Then there is this excerpt from Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA), an NSF science and technology center that really gets at the question, “Why should we conserve water?”
Excessive use of water has the following adverse effects on our society, economy, and environment:
· More dams must be built, destroying wilderness areas and reducing streamflow.
· The water infrastructure requires increased maintenance for pipes, sewers, and treatment facilities.
· Agricultural uses can contribute to erosion, salinity and increased desertification.
· Water bodies such as rivers, wetlands, and bays are degraded from the high levels of water extracted and from the polluted runoff that feeds into them.
And here’s a video of Dr. Kent Butler from University of Texas explaining the benefits of rainwater harvesting:
Finally, a couple links (here and here) on Garden Rant (one of the best garden blogs out there by the way) that focus on the use of rain barrels and their effectiveness. The first includes a large number of first hand testimonials worth reading.
I’ll be digging even deeper into the rain collection issue and will attempt to post some research on the topic in the near future.
Oh, WAIT! Can’t forget this video that breaks down the basics of groundwater…man, this is how all education should be delivered…reminds me of Schoolhouse Rock from back when I was a kid.
Over seven billion gallons per day. That’s how much the EPA estimates is used nationwide on landscape irrigation. Now, no matter how you spin that, it’s far too much water. And the scary thing is most people don’t even think about it. I’ve got a friend who has a large, lush green lawn and I asked him what he did to make it look so nice.
“Man, I just get home, turn the water on and let it run most of the night,” he said.
“How often do you do that?” I asked.
“Mmm…’bout every day.”
All I could think was, “Every day? C’mon, man. That’s a bit extreme, isn’t it?”
If you break that seven billion figure down into family use what you’ll find is that of the 400 gallons of water a family of four can use per day, almost a third of it is used outdoors. And of that water, over half is used to water lawns and gardens. The other half goes toward other outdoor uses such as washing cars, cleaning driveways and pool maintenance.
So what’s the big deal? Well, not only is too much water being used, but some experts say that more than half of the water that is used for residential landscape irrigation is wasted on things such as overwatering, evaporation and wind, and inefficient irrigation design. So you have far too many people out there watering their lawns too often and too long and spraying water all over pavement and other areas that waste the water supply.
It’s sad, really, but not hopeless and harvesting the natural form of the one thing we often waste can not only help preserve our water but also save us a few bucks as well. Rainwater collection can be incredibly easy (and doesn’t have to look like you live next to a toxic waste dump – see above photo) – rain falls on your roof, runs down your gutter and into your rain barrel. The barrel includes a spigot that you connect a hose to and by way of gravity you water your plants using the water you collected. It can get a bit more complicated if you implement a more advanced system that incorporates pumps, flow controls and such, but it doesn’t have to be. So here you have it – three easy steps to begin harvesting rain:
1. Buy a rain collection barrel (and a downspout attachment).
2. Place it beneath a downspout.
3. Wait for rain (or do a rain dance if it’s not filling as quick as you’d like)
4. (Optional) Buy a pump (electric or battery powered), allowing you to water your lawn from the rain barrel.
Wanna know how much you could potentially collect using a rain barrel? Rainbarrelguide does the math for us. Still wondering if you should invest in the practice of harvesting rain? Do the math yourself…it’s elementary.
