Category Archives: Rainwater Harvesting Education

Rainwater Harvesting Education

Think Rainwater Harvesting System Instead of Traditional Water Management

fernsEvery drop of rainwater is important and we can make smart decisions about where every raindrop goes.

Construction seals off land, making it impermeable, with less rain water getting back into our aquifers. As we consider construction plans, we want to think about low impact development (LID), and as many are now doing, adopt LID in place of traditional water management systems. LID for rainwater harvesting can be practiced in many ways – passive – via a simple rain garden, green roof, and permeable pavements – all of which passively assist in reducing rainwater runoff by redirecting it.

In an active system, you’d divert rainwater from a roof to a storage tank to be reused – possibly for laundry, toilet facilities or even drinking water.  This has commercial and residential application.

Some small systems are easy for do it yourself projects, but if you’re looking to build a complex system, you should always seek the services of an accredited professional.

To learn more about rainwater harvesting and how to build a system, visit Intro to Rainwater Harvesting, an educational webinar presented by ARCSA.

Rainwater Catchment, Rainwater Harvesting Education

Managing Drought with Conservation Techniques

Could the recent storm in California have put a dent in the drought?

slimline tanksWe can’t change the weather, but we can make better use of it.

With a reported 2 – 4 inches of rainfall in Los Angeles county and 4 to 5 inches in San Diego county from this recent winter storm, widespread flooding was what we heard about on the news. News station weather centers were quoted as saying, “While the rains in California have been generous, they are far from enough to put a dent in the drought.” Since 80% of California is experiencing drought, while this record rainfall caused some flooding and damage, it was also an opportunity to see how we can apply conservation techniques to harness water for toilet flushing and laundry facilities.

For an average 3,500 square foot home in San Diego, four inches of rainfall could have collected approximately 7,500 gallons of water. In Los Angeles with only 1.5” of rainfall, the same house could have collected 2,780 gallons. If this hypothetical 35,000 square foot home collected, stored and used this rain from this single event, merely for toilet flushing, it would equal over 2,225 flushes or approximately 10 flushes per day for the whole year. Applying the same scenario to the San Diego house could mean the same 10 flushes per day PLUS 168 loads of laundry per year! Imagine how much water could be collected if a commercial building, with its larger roof space was to apply this practice.

Drought can be managed if the right conservation techniques are applied.

Photo: Ray Chavez/Bay Area New Group

Rainwater Catchment, Rainwater Harvesting Education

Simple Steps for Rainwater System Winterization

Snowy_street_in_downtown_SeattleWith the cold weather upon us, many rainwater systems need to be winterized.

Most whole house use rainwater collection systems are frost protected when installed, due to their use in the winter months. But, if your rainwater system is used for irrigation only, or if you have a simple rain barrel system, winterization is an important maintenance task that should be addressed before the cold weather hits. Broken pipes can lead to draining your cistern empty, or possible damage your pressure pump. Costly repairs or replacement of components can be avoided with little planning.

Be sure your pipes are not exposed to the weather by insulating, or draining. If draining, be sure to leave the valves open afterward. You can temporarily cover pipes with straw or hay if necessary.

Drain the pump of all water – including what is in the expansion tank, leaving this valve open, too.

Be sure to inspect your first flush device “dribbler valve” to be sure it is clear of obstructions so it will operate correctly.

Inspect systems to be sure there are no leaks from cisterns and that your gutter system is clean and ready to collect rain for spring and summer use.

Simple steps can be taken to insure your rainwater collection system will be operational for the next season and that you are collecting water during the winter months.

Snowy Street Downtown Seattle courtesy of Ekaune