Rain Water Harvesting

Links listed here will help provide knowledge about rain water harvesting.

I am pleased to be amongst the leaders of Rain Water Harvesting in Southern California. Please take a moment and review part of my portfolio of completed projects.

Check it out here.

Please view The Cycle of Insanity video. When I show people this video and explain how much water they can collect their jaws drop. The way we manage our resources is insane. Harvesting rainwater is an easy and realistic way to conserve water in Los Angeles. There is plenty of rain. If one thousand feet of roof area were collected in Los Angeles that would yield 8,700 gallons per year with our average of 14" per year.
Rain water harvesting combined with grey water systems and Xeriscape Gardening can reduce outdoor watering to zero.
TO SEE THE AVERAGE YEARLY RAINFALL IN YOUR CALIFORNIA CITY, CLICK HERE.

Number geeks and grid techs may enjoy this, but when I meet with a client the first thing I ascertain is how much space they have for above ground storage. Below ground is an option, but generally costs triple and involves permits from the government. Sometimes we can capture waste water from the clothes washer or water filters ( gray water ) and run that into the same cisterns that collect the rainwater and run a line back into the house to power a toilet.

One of those questions we must ask ourselves is why are we flushing human waste down the drain with potable water?

Drought

Many parts of the United States are in (or are about to enter) a drought period, facing possible water restrictions. The government will use the excuse of a drought, real or imagined, to raise your water rates. In February 2009, the Governor of California ordered that mandatory water rationing and mandatory reductions in water use may be introduced. Governor Schwarzenegger called for a statewide water reduction of 20%. I suspect that even after the record snows and rains of 2010-2011 the buzz will be that there is a drought. If you take the time to watch the video above you will see that the real problem is lack of planning and knowledge about water conservation.

One of the things you can do is STOP PAYING THEM FOR WATER THAT YOU OWN, THAT FLOWS OFF YOUR PROPERTY.
Rain tanks, or rain barrels, collect fresh rain water from the home roof and store it for times of drought. Modern rain tanks are sealed from light, animals and vegetable matter so the water stays clean for months.

Proponents of global warming warn that weather patterns are already changing and traditional rainfall levels are expected to drop in many areas.

Green Living

Green living is now becoming a way of life for a majority of Americans. People are conscious of their 'carbon footprint' and are seeking methods to reduce the future impact on the environment and climate. 20% of California's power consumption is used to collect, transport and treat water.

In areas of major urbanization the environment is suffering from increased run-off that cannot soak naturally into the ground. As a result, aquifers are not filling at a rate fast enough to restore their pre-urban levels.

Saving Clean Water For Drinking

Water is a limited resource and the cost of its supply is certain to rise in the next few years. Most major water collection and distribution projects in California were completed over fifty years ago and no new major rainwater catchment projects are planned. Water restrictions are nothing new in California, but since the last major drought in the early 1990s, the state's population has grown by 9 million to a total of 38 million. In a press conference on March 12, 2009 the governor plainly stated that, with increased demand and limited supply, Californians can expect to pay more for water in the future.

But why use good drinking water on the garden or to flush toilets? Over 40% of water supplied to most suburban households is used on the garden. This is not the best use of a product processed for human consumption. Besides, most plants enjoy the slightly acidic and soft qualities of rainwater.

Bushman rainwater harvesting tanks maintain a high quality of rain water with gutter guards, insect filters and first flush devices that divert the first rains of the season to the drain. All tanks are opaque and do not allow the growth of algae. Tanks are made or lined with food grade quality polyethylene.

Design

You can easily find a water tank on the web today made for agricultural or commercial customers. These tanks are generally too large for residential use and typically come in black, white and dark green. Bushman specializes in slimline tanks that fit under the eaves of the house and come in over six color choices.

Alternatively you can pick-up a rain barrel at the local nursery. While these may look great under a downpipe in your garden, they typically store no more than 60 gallons, which is inadequate for most garden sizes. We recommend a minimum of 300 gallons of storage, purpose built to collect and store clean rainwater. Also beware of recycling old plastic containers to rain barrels as they may have been used to transport harsh chemicals for their original purpose and could leech poorer quality plastic.

Because of contamination on the roof the first volume of rain should be diverted from the storage tank.
Detailed information on First Flush Devices can be found here.