Irrigate with free water that falls from the sky!

Rainwater harvesting is not a new concept. For thousands of years, people have been collecting rainwater. This simple technology continues to be used today around the world to provide water for drinking, irrigation and other non-potable uses. Collection systems range from 10,000-gallon cisterns to 40-gallon rain barrels.

Captured rainwater can be used for both potable (drinkable) and non-potable purposes, both inside and outside a home or business. Outdoor uses include watering landscaping and gardens, and to provide water for pets, wildlife and livestock. Indoor uses include toilet flushing and clothes washing. Rainwater is often a forgotten resource for these uses, and can significantly reduce the amount of treated drinking water needed to complete these tasks. Additionally, the process of designing and installing a rainwater collection system is often less expensive than drilling a well.

Reducing Storm Water Runoff

Collecting rainwater can reduce storm water runoff and assist in water quality protection. Rain barrels or cisterns help detain storm water flows and, when connected to a drip hose or irrigation system, slowly release the water collected back into the soil for infiltration.

Landscape Use

Rainwater does not contain ammonia, fluoride or chlorine so it is preferable for use on your plants. When using rainwater for landscaping, drip irrigation is the most practical. Supply can be provided by gravity pressure alone or a pump attached to the storage system.

Wildlife Watering

“Water guzzlers” are rainwater collection systems built in remote areas to provide water for wildlife. A roof, storage tank and watering device are all that are needed. Rainfall could also be collected from existing barns, deer blinds or other structures and used for wildlife water.

Water for Livestock and Pets

Livestock require great quantities of water on a daily basis. A horse or cow can consume seven to 18 gallons of water a day and a large herd could demand hundreds of gallons daily. Water demands for smaller herds or individual animals or pets can be met with collected rainwater.

Water for Home and Business

The average North American uses approximately 101 gallons of water per day for both indoor and outdoor uses. Rainwater can supply many homes worldwide with an abundant supply of quality, soft, safe water for drinking and other uses such as toilet flushing and clothes washing. Storage capacity needs to be sufficient to provide several months supply of water as well as an appropriately designed and maintained filtration and disinfection system. Using rainwater to meet these demands can significantly reduce requirements for drinking water from your municipal water supplier.

Roof and Gutter System

This is where all the action starts! Rainwater falls on the roof, and is transported via the roof and gutter system to the tanks.  Considerations include the most efficient capture of all the rainwater, acceptable locations for downspout intercepts, and leaf and other roof debris management. More that one roof or downspout can be used. Some roofs are better than others at catching the rainfall efficiently.

First flush diverter

This is a device that “discards” the first portion of any rainfall. It can be downspout-mounted, tank mounted, or somewhere in between.  It ensures that only the cleanest water is routed to the tanks.

Tanks

These can be large or small, above ground or buried. Many times multiple tanks are connected together to increase the capacity of the system.

Pump

Pumps carry the water from the tank(s) to the irrigation system. They can be submersible (in the tank) or centrifugal (outside the tank).  Usually powered by electricity, they will require wiring to the main electrical panel in many cases. Pumps are sized based on a number of factors – the size of the tank, the quantity of head pressure required (psi), the volume of water that is required (GPM). Some of the very low-pressure, low-volume pumps are solar powered.

Filters

Filters are important to remove any excess debris that gets past the first flush diverter. Debris can clog nozzles, drip components, and electric valves in irrigation systems, so it is important to size the filters to the tolerances allowed by the various components of the irrigation system.

Tank top-ups

Once the water from the tankage has been exhausted, the irrigation system will discontinue its operation unless an autofill or diverter is used. Autofills add backflow-protected city water to the tanks when they run low. Diverters disengage the pump, and allow backflow-protected water to flow from the backup city water supply to the irrigation system. These automatic top-ups / diverters allow seamless and automatic operation of the rainwater harvesting system throughout various levels of rainwater collection.