A beautiful rainwater collection system by Italian designer Araceli de la Parra

This beautiful rainwater collection system by Italian designer Araceli de la Parra consists of a series of sculptural “flowforms”, which encourage the natural movement of water by channeling it into eddies and vortices. A set of flowforms and water storage vessels are attached to a building via cables and to sit below rain gutter spouts, collecting water runoff and storing it alongside apartment balconies to irrigate plants. This beautiful design, called Acqua Viva, treats water as a precious resource by channeling it with a stunning system.

The Acqua Viva rainwater collection system is made up of a series of spiraling Flowforms that collect rainwater and send it into storage vessels. The terracotta flowforms and vessels are designed to be hung on a series of cables, where they capture rooftop runoff and allow water to cascade down through each form. Flowforms encourage the water to act in a natural way, spiraling and falling into beautiful egg-shaped vessels. The water is stored for use to water nearby plants and can be accessed via a spout at the bottom. When there is too much water for the vessel, water spills out over the top and flows down through more flowforms and into the next vessel.

Read more: Acqua Viva: Sculptural Hanging Rainwater Collection System Acqua Viva – Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World

By Colleen Bednarz | Email the author | December 6, 2010

Dating back to ancient times, somewhere around the origins of agriculture, rainwater catchment systems were used to harvest and store rainwater for practical, agrarian reasons—like water retention, irrigation and erosion control.

In today’s day and age, rainwater harvesting systems can also increase property value, decrease dependence on municipal water sources, provide homeowner rebates and help with fire protection. And, surprisingly, they can be practical and cost effective, with small, do-it-yourself systems costing as little as $50 to start.

Winter is the most bountiful of the seasons when it comes to water catchment, and there’s no denying that the rainy season has descended here on the Central Coast?, where rainfall during the months of November through March averages about 30 inches a year.

Last year’s wildest storm unleashed nearly 10 inches of rain in a few short hours, pummeling rooftops with water, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people and creating dangerous mudslides and treacherous driving conditions all around the Monterey Bay and beyond. Now that’s a lot of rainfall.

Predictions for this year’s rainy season aren’t quite as wet, which means water conservation will remain quite the hot topic here in Santa Cruz County, and with drought years occurring more often than not these days, the city of Santa Cruz will continue to hear plans for the proposed multi-million-dollar, high-energy-use desalination plant in the coming months.

But many Santa Cruzans believe a desalination plant should only be considered a solution to our water woes after alternative water conservation efforts are fully explored and implemented. Meanwhile, a number of environmentally sound water conservation solutions, such as rainwater catchment, gray water systems, drip irrigation, drought-tolerant landscaping, simple water regulations and composting toilets can all help ease the pinch felt during the drier, more drought-prevalent seasons.

Water Conservation Gets Personal

One of the simplest ways to take water conservation into one’s own hands is by harvesting and storing water for future use with a self-installed rainwater catchment system. The most basic of systems can be anything from a strategically placed wine barrel collecting rainwater exclusively for a summer garden, to a modest, 100-gallon system consisting of a tank, some PVC tubing and a valve, filter and spigot.

There’s no need to search far and wide for help, either. There a number of excellent, local resources, like Earthcraft Landscape Design, specialists in rainwater catchment systems, or TerrraNova Ecological Landscaping, which does everything from creating water catchment systems to drip systems, erosion control and custom gray water systems. The Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County also hosts periodic workshops on water catchment, as well as offers financial assistance for homeowners who employ qualifying conservation practices on their properties. There are even a few local rebates available for things like cistern installation, turf replacement and smart water conserving timers.

The proper use of rainwater catchment systems can help control erosion, especially for sloped areas. And any rainwater collected and stored for future use will be directed back into the water table at a much slower rate, while keeping toxic pollutants from flowing into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and improving overall water quality.

All that makes runoff abatement and rainwater catchment a no-brainer in our sometimes wet, sometimes extremely dry Santa Cruz climate, and an essential solution for restoring depleted water tables and protecting the heath of our marine sanctuary.

With the wettest weather fast approaching, it’s rainwater catchment go-time.?

Rain barrels collect water from the gutters. Credit McClatchy-Tribune

Sterling Ranch’s innovative water conservation plan currently calls for using just one-third the water traditionally required in Douglas County — without relying on rainwater collection. With the rainwater pilot designation, Sterling Ranch will develop a new water source to be used for outside irrigation that could result in even more water supply savings.

“We are very excited about this pilot project,” said Geoff Blakeslee, chairman of the Colorado Water Conservation Board, at the board meeting held in Salida.

Sterling Ranch estimates that at least half of the community’s outdoor irrigation demand can be met by capturing rainwater from storm drainage systems and rooftops in underground storage tanks or retention ponds and recycling it to water the community’s lawns, gardens and open space.

“This is a giant leap forward for water conservation,” said Harold Smethills, Sterling Ranch managing director. “It combines forward-thinking rainwater harvesting with Sterling Ranch’s vision for innovative water conservation. This has been done effectively in many other states and it’s time to put this water supply to use in Colorado as well.”

Smethills and his family made water conservation a top priority for Sterling Ranch from the start. During a decade of planning, the family grew passionate about the possibility of incorporating rainwater harvesting into their planned water conservation practices. Sterling Ranch was a key supporter of HB 1129, signed by Gov. Ritter in June, 2009, that permits 10 pilot residential developments to use rainwater collection systems.

“Sterling Ranch is an ideal pilot site,” said state Sen. Ted Harvey, one of the bill’s sponsors. “It’s the largest undeveloped parcel in water-challenged Douglas County, and its founders are committed to cutting-edge conservation methods to save Colorado’s most precious resource.”

A 2007 study commissioned by the water conservation board showed that on average in northwest Douglas County just 3 percent of annual rainwater actually reaches a stream. Ninety-seven percent either evaporates or is used by vegetation.

As part of the pilot project, Sterling Ranch’s data collection will measure the potential of rainwater harvesting as a supplemental water supply and will explore how the water supply could be developed without affecting senior water rights.

“We hope Sterling Ranch will be a model for future developments in Colorado by pairing rainwater harvesting with outdoor demand management to save more water than traditional conservation methods,” said Smethills. “Rainwater collection is a natural opportunity that fits with our vision and the community’s way of life.”

Sterling Ranch is a 3,400-acre proposed community in northwestern Douglas County that will create more than 4,000 permanent jobs at build-out, 1,000 construction jobs annually for 20 years, and a $411 million economic impact at completion. For more information, go to www.sterlingranchcolorado.com.

Individual households can collect rainwater during the wet season and store it for use during the dry season. In the Bay Area, where 30 – 50% of the water used during the summer months goes for landscaping and gardening, rainwater-harvesting is mostly used by gardeners. With proper filtration systems, it can also be used for drinking water.

In a natural ecosystem, rainwater runs off gradually, much of it seeping into the ground. In our urban and suburban society, a large proportion of rainwater runs off almost immediately from impervious surfaces such as roads, roofs, sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots into storm drains that dump it rapidly into waterways. Such fast runoff causes creek volumes to fluctuate much more rapidly and widely than is natural, causing increased erosion and flooding, while depleting the supply of water that can sink into the soil and water table. Such runoff also carries sediment, oil, pesticides, pet waste, and litter directly into our streams and bays. In San Francisco, which has a combined storm- and waste-water system (the only such in the Bay Area), storm runoff regularly pushes wastewater volumes beyond the treatment capacity, forcing discharges of minimally treated sewage directly into the Bay and ocean.

Individuals, by catching roof runoff during storms and directing it through spouts into rainbarrels, cisterns, or tanks, can harvest and store the water for use during dry months. These systems can be cost-effective and easy to use. At the simple end, barrels can be attached to downpour spouts from roofs, and the water held until needed for summer landscaping. Sturdy, good-quality barrels are recommended to preserve water quality, prevent the growth of algae and mosquitoes, and protect children and wild animals from drowning. They should be opaque to sunlight and include a debris screen and lid. Barrels or tanks come in a variety of sizes and designs. They can be hidden on the side of a house, under decks, or even underground. For larger devices, professional designers and installers are recommended.

Depending on the technique used, the landscape area to be covered, and the size and complexity of the systems, water-catchment devices can cost anywhere from free (do-it-yourself barrel attached to a downspout and a hose), to around $100 for a 60-gallon rain barrel, to a few thousand dollars for complex tank systems with sophisticated pumping and filtering systems. Water-catchment devices can be found on the internet or by checking with local water districts or nurseries.

Raingardens

Raingardens are a natural accompaniment to catchment systems. During the rainy season, unless you have a huge storage system, your storage will quickly fill up.

Raingardens involve landscape changes made to direct overflow from the catchment system, as well as natural runoff from the landscape, into small depressions (about a foot deep) dug into the landscape and filled with mulch or other absorbent substances which hold water but allow it to seep slowly into the soil. These can be dug easily with a shovel. Over and around these, one plants native plants that are attuned to the natural rain cycles of the area. Retention ledges or berms can also be built around lawns and gardens to detain runoff and encourage it to percolate into the soil. People are also replacing impervious surfaces such as driveways and walkways with porous cement and pavers. In all these cases the aim is to allow rainwater to seep into the soil without creating standing water where mosquitoes can breed. This encourages the recharging (replenishing) of groundwater. It also allows microorganisms in the soil to break down pollutants such as petroleum products and pesticides before they reach waterways.

In short, by harvesting rainwater, you can:

• lower demand for municipal water;
• help reduce flooding, erosion, and sedimentation into creeks;
• reduce strain on local sewer districts;
• protect local streams and habitat for salmon and other wildlife;
• prevent pollutants from reaching streams and bays;
• reduce your carbon footprint by saving energy used to treat and pump municipal water;
• save money.

WhatYouCanDo

There are a number of easily accessible resources for learning more about water catchment and raingardens. The Bay Area is home to a number of water-harvesting projects such as the 10,000 Raingardens Project, which developed from a partnership between the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) and the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD). Water districts such as North Marin Water District are providing financial incentives for water conservation programs including rainwater harvesting.

Click for further information and a list of valuable resources and workshops.

Other informative web sites are: Occidental Arts and Ecology Center; Sustainable Fairfax; and North Marin Water District

The Bay Area has always been a pioneer in the development of environmentally friendly technologies. Rainwater harvesting is a natural fit for those of us who live here. The better we can learn to adapt to our water footprint, the less we will have to rely on water from distant watersheds or from costly, energy-intensive sources such as desalination.

Michele Barni, Sierra Club Marin Group Executive Committee

http://sfbay.sierraclub.org/yodeler/html/2010/05/article13.htm

What a great article, rainwater harvesting and rain gardens. They go hand in hand.

Bob

Always looking to do more with less? Like help the environment and getting exercise at the same time? Well Larry Gilg did, and he found a way: “I hooked a water pump to a bicycle trainer and use it to pump water out of my rainwater system.” Watering his yard, totally for FREE and getting exercise at the same time.
Read on for an interview with innovator Larry Gilg and his highly creative sustainable yard watering system.

Larry, when did you become interested in capturing rainwater?

I became interested in rainwater harvesting several years ago. It was becoming evident to me that our culture is almost totally dependent on energy derived from hydrocarbon based fossil fuels for our basic needs: food, water and shelter. I am convinced that this cannot continue, and I decided to try to live “off-grid”, or to try to provide food, water and shelter for my family without going off and starting a survivalist retreat in the mountains.

So, to get started on the food and water requirement, I spaded up several garden plots in my urban backyard, and commenced to try to grow vegetables. I was surprised the first year at the amount of water poured on the plots, just to see the tomatoes, peppers, beans and cucumbers and other stuff simply burn up in the Austin, Texas hot July sun. I now have about 250 sq. ft. of garden planted, and am learning what crops to plant when. I don’t expect to be able to feed a family on 250 sq. ft., but I am using this to learn how to grow stuff.

It quickly became obvious that a local source of water will be required if I was going to truly be sustainable. For garden watering requirements, say, an inch of water on 250 sq. ft., requires something like 155 gallons of water. So I set out to capture free rainwater to meet this requirement.

Why did you use linked rainbarrels versus one large tank?

My property has a detached garage, the back of which is about 8 feet from the rear property line. This was always kind of waste space – the shade of the garage and the tree canopy kept the space in shadows most of the time and as there is no alley, it is right up against the neighbor’s back yard, not a good place to try to landscape. Since it is not visible from the street, it was used simply as a dumping ground for old lumber and yard waste. When I started thinking about collecting rainwater to use to water my vegetables, the garage roof seemed like the best solution for a collector. It is about 850 sq. ft. in area, and has a continuous gutter around all four sides, except where it was parted at the back to allow the hot water vent (its a two-story garage apartment) to pass.

In researching rainwater storage barrels, the most popular, and cost effective barrels have a 6 foot or larger diameter. If I located that behind the garage, it would become almost impossible to walk around it. This seemed impractical to me. I got the idea to stack used 55-gallon container on their sides to get around this problem. The barrels are 3 feet tall, or take up 3 feet when laying on their sides, and allowing even one foot for the plumbing fittings, still leaves almost 4 feet of space in front to move around the barrels, which is ample.

I would have liked to gather enough water to get through a typical long dry, hot Austin summer, say 4 months without rain. If you consider putting an inch of water on 250 sq. ft. of garden every 3 days for 4 months, I need storage capacity of over 5500 gallons. That’s 100 55-gallon barrels. There was no way to get that many barrels in there, and it sounded excessive, anyhow. The whole project is in the nature of an experiment, and I wasn’t even sure how deep the barrels could safely be stacked. On surveying the site, I determined that there was a sort of natural space for 10 barrels laying on the ground; which would give a total of 27 barrels when stacked 3 high. Twenty seven 55-gallon barrels gives a total storage capacity of 1485 gallons. So, I bought 9 barrels and plumbed them together, filled and drained them several times to make sure that they were stable and then bought the rest.
I paid $20 per barrel (used syrup containers), for a total of $540, which is less than half of what a typical large cylindrical barrel would cost. Of course, figuring in the plumbing fittings, I’m sure it’s pretty much the same cost as a single large barrel, and a lot more labor to connect.

How much water do you harvest?

My garage roof is about 850 sq. ft, (it’s a 4-car garage), so an inch of rain can potentially supply 475 gallons of water into the catchment; theoretically 3 inches of rain should fill all the barrels. However, the in reality it is much more than 3 inches. There were 4 downspouts originally on the garage, one on each corner of the rectangular structure. The plumbing for the two downspouts at the rear of the building was fairly simple to route into the barrels, but the two on the front would have been more difficult, expensive and would have been an eyesore and obstacle around the structure, so I simply plugged the downspouts up so they don’t drain. There is a slight “fall” toward the rear so water will flow the right way. However, in heavy rains, the water flows over the sides of the gutter as the increased volume can’t flow through the two remaining downspouts.
Another “bottleneck” is the filtering system I used. Since the barrels can’t really be cleaned, I am trying to keep them as clean as possible. I have installed a filter collector in the downspout that also has losses at high flow rates.
I have a large pecan tree that towers over the garage, so keeping the gutters clean is a challenge. I have not heard of a system to keep leaves out of gutters that I have confidence in working. With all the losses in the system, I probably get about a third to one half of the water that hits the roof. I could improve that with better plumbing, obviously, but I’m content with that for now.

So tell us a little about your bicycle and pump setup?

It is simply a normal everyday bike, hooked up to a trainer that has been converted to pump water to my sprinkler.
Water is gravity fed from my rainbarrels to my bike and pump. When I pedal it creates the water pressure necessary to push the water with enough force to drive the sprinkler to water my yard.
When finished pumping, the bicycle may be quickly released from the trainer to be used in its normal transportation mode. It takes about 30 minutes to empty a 55 gallon rainbarrel at a fairly leisurely pace.

So Larry, what do your neighbors think?

I have heard good remarks from them. They think I’m crazy, but they aren’t faced with the evidence every day (i.e. all the weird stuff is in the backyard).

What’s the next project?

I have a larger rainwater harvesting system in mind and want to expand my watering system to be able to water more of the yard. I want to mount a 55-gal barrel around 10-ft off the ground, and pedal it full every other day or so, then have a drip irrigation system to allow it to seep out on the garden.

http://savingh20.blogspot.com/2010/05/local-pioneer-free-rain-free-watering.html

http://www.sodis.ch/methode/index_EN

Water can be disinfectes and in this way made drinkable using the rays of the sun. “Solar water disinfection” – SODIS for short – thus offers a solution for preventing diarrhoea, one of the most common causes of death among people in developing countries.

Clean drinking water in 6 hours

The SODIS method is ideal for treating water for drinking in developing countries. All it requires is sunlight and PET bottles. How does it work? Clear PET bottles are filled with the water and set out in the sun for 6 hours. The UV-A rays in sunlight kill germs such as viruses, bacteria and parasites (giardia and cryptosporidia). The method also works when air and water temperatures are low.

People can use the SODIS method to treat their drinking water themselves. The method is very simple and its application is safe. It is particularly suitable for treating relatively small quantities of drinking water.

Research

Many scientific studies confirmed the effectiveness of the SODIS method. It kills germs in water very efficiently. The method has even been shown to improve the health of the population. Research into training strategies gave insight about which communication methods are most suitable. It has also been proven that the use of PET bottles in the SODIS method is harmless.

International recognition

The World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, and the Red Cross therefore recommend the SODIS method as a way to treat drinking water in developing countries.

“Solar disinfection is an example of another measure with proven health impact that requires little capital investment on the part of end-users, and is thus appropriate for the very poor.” WHO, 2007

“UNICEF promotes a variety of treatment methods such as user-friendly filtration, simple solar water disinfection (SODIS) and home chlorination. These are all low-cost, effective and manageable at the household level.”UNICEF, 2009

Red Cross Prize, 2006: “The jury considers SODIS an impressive way of contributing by the simplest means to making water supplies better and safer, thereby reducing diarrhoea and other diseases like it, and mortality in developing countries.” Red Cross, 2006

That’s one reason Clair Klock is pushing an ancient practice: rainwater harvesting.

“Why are we using chlorinated, treated water for watering our plants and yards and flushing our toilets, when we could get 70 percent of the water from rain captured from the roof?” wonders Klock, senior resource conservationist for the Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Whether it’s a 55-gallon rain barrel in the back yard or a 5,000-gallon tank on the farm, “the principles are the same,” Klock says. “The rain is captured from the roof with downspouts.”

A typical 1,000-square-foot roof in the Portland area can capture 30,000 gallons of rainwater a year, he says.

With more people moving into the Portland area, and agriculture a major industry in the Willamette Valley, the amount of available ground water is diminishing.

More people are seeing their wells run dry during the summer months, Klock says. One resident he talked to had three wells go dry, each one drilled deeper than the last.

Patti and Paul Jarret’s well ran dry at their Oregon City property, which includes a 40-tree orchard plus a large garden. They opted for a 12,000-gallon tank, filling it with rain water from a metal roof.

“The tank is expensive,” says Patti Jarret, “but it’s a lot cheaper than digging new wells.”

Harvesting rainwater can save significant sums of money.

Pacific University designed its Gilbert Hall dorm in Forest Grove and its new health building in Hillsboro to reuse rain water for toilets.

“There’s a significant difference in the sewer and water bill,” says Charles Arvidson, university construction manager. “We’re seeing a 30 percent savings in Hillsboro alone.”

Gilbert Hall, which has 150 residents and 75 toilets, was built with a 12,000-gallon storage tank buried underground. Rainwater from the storage tank is pumped to a 500-gallon tank in the basement. When someone flushes a toilet, that smaller tank supplies the water.

Gilbert’s reuse of rain water, coupled with low-flow toilets and efficient showerheads, saves 784,000 gallons of water a year and 390,000 kilowatt-hours of energy, says Leah Quinn, resident manager. That’s enough water for 31,000 hot showers and enough energy to power 2,000 computers for a year.

“Students enjoy living in a space that makes smart use of water and energy,” Quinn says.

Most urban residents who turn to rainwater use 55- to 75-gallon rain barrels, while others bury a tank under the driveway. Typically, those are added after the homes were constructed.

A 1,000-gallon concrete cistern with a food-grade liner meeting certain standards can even provide potable (drinking) water. Such drinkable systems are not for the do-it-yourselfer, though, Klock notes.

Arnie and Karen Kirkham of Mollala started out with a couple of 70-gallon rain barrels. Now they have eight barrels to water their 86-by-125-foot lot and its gardens.

The downspout is directed to a finely screened opening on top of the barrel, to keep out mosquitoes. Several inches from the bottom is a faucet that can be used to fill a watering can or attach a drip-system irrigation line for the garden. At the back, near the top of the barrel, is an overflow hose that runs to a pipe emptying into the stormwater system.

An overflow in a rain barrel is crucial to keep excess water from damaging a house foundation or creating unstable soil.

For those not ready to get into rainwater harvesting, there are more modest ways to conserve water.

For farms and agribusiness, drip irrigation conserves more water than sprinkler systems. A new report by the Oregon Department of Agriculture found that 61 percent of Oregon’s irrigated lands still use sprinkler systems to deliver water, but more are switching to drip systems, resulting in much less water loss from evaporation.

Another water-saving trick is a hose-timer, no matter what kind of water system you use, Klock says. “It costs about $20 and turns the sprinkler off after 10 minutes.”

BY DEBBY DE CARLO

Pamplin Media Group, Apr 15, 2010

U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson’s order threatening a dramatic rollback in the amount of water the region can withdraw from Lake Lanier, last year’s drought and staggering property damage from storm-inundated water channels have made indisputably clear the need for new ways to think about how we gather, use and manage our water resources.

The fastest, easiest and most effective technique for increasing our available water resources, coping with drought conditions and controlling storm runoff has been overlooked so far in efforts to change the state’s water management systems, however.

A decentralized approach to rainwater harvesting, as described by Australian water authority Peter Coombes in a series of recent academic studies, can produce tremendous benefits for the state both in conservation of potable water and reduction of storm water runoff.

Rainwater-harvesting technology, available now, is a post-millennial approach to a water-management practice that has been employed for centuries.

The Georgia Plumbing Code has recently been amended to allow rainwater harvesting for watering lawns, flushing toilets and laundering clothes under certain specifications that ensure public health and safety.

How much impact can roof-collected rainwater have on metro Atlanta’s water-management problems? Plenty.

If all the roof-surface rainwater in the 13-county region was collected and stored at the site where it falls, the collection would generate more than 300 million gallons of water per day on average and remove those gallons from the urban runoff pouring into storm drains.

The savings could offset use of potable water for many high-demand purposes and help diminish the burden on storm water infrastructure.

Although the implementation of rainwater harvesting for every rooftop in metro Atlanta is not a realistic goal, this calculation shows how much impact even modest gains in rooftop collections could produce.

Rainwater harvesting as part of a broader water management strategy known as Water Sensitive Urban Design is embraced and encouraged by governments in the U.S. and abroad. Arizona, Texas, North Carolina and California offer incentives for installation of rainwater harvesting systems.

Sonoma County, Calif., operates a program where homeowners can borrow from a bond pool to enact energy- conserving modifications to a residence; the significant energy and water-saving qualities of rainwater harvesting secured its inclusion in this program.

Georgia Tech, Emory, and the University of Georgia, among others, have installed rainwater harvesting systems on their campuses capable of delivering significant amounts of water for non-potable uses and reducing runoff during rainstorms by these same amounts.

Do these systems offer a sign of things to come? I believe they do.

While efforts to address metro Atlanta’s water needs have focused primarily on immense infrastructure projects such as dams and inter-basin transfers, these solutions will require many years and billions of precious taxpayer dollars to effect.

Meantime, our challenges will only grow more acute. Rainwater harvesting can be executed right away under existing laws with comparatively modest investments, and will produce a host of tangible benefits in the near term.

Studies show that 58 percent of water use annually goes to outdoor irrigation, for example.

Why are we applying millions of gallons of water refined to EPA drinking-water standards to this use every day?

Not only will decentralized collection add to water resources, curb runoff and reduce non-point source pollution, rainwater system installation and maintenance also can create thousands of badly needed “green” jobs.

In Germany, where rainwater harvesting is widely practiced, the rainwater industry generates more than $350 million per year in revenues.

Rainwater-harvesting installation and retrofitting in Georgia could employ scores of skilled workers who have been hard-hit by the prolonged recession, including plumbers, electricians and landscapers.

I believe that rainwater harvesting must be an integral part of any sustainable solution to Georgia’s water crisis.

Time is of the essence, and rainwater harvesting can begin to close the gap between our water-supply needs and our water resources as soon as the next rain event occurs.

G. Edward Van Giesen is policy director for BRAE Rainwater Technologies Inc., a member of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association.

By G. Edward Van Giesen

in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

7:31 p.m. Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Brad Lancaster is inspiring, listen to this! Way to go Brad.

Description of the earlier cisterns

Many older homes and estates today still have the remnants of their early underground rainwater cisterns. These fairly large round, water-tight, root-free, 500-to-5000-gallon cisterns were made from brick, stone, rock, plaster, concrete, or combinations of these materials. They were each capped with an above-ground manhole-type of opening large enough to take a big bucket. This opening allowed the cistern to be periodically cleaned-out and repaired by the owner or by a third-party service.

The tin or zinc-plated guttering used on the house eaves then, which carried the rainwater down to the cisterns, were open and not covered. So, quite a bit of wind-blown tree leaves and seeds, and other debris could make their into the cisterns. For that reason, the suction end of the iron plumbing was located above the cistern floor, where the debris would eventually settle.

This relatively clean, soft, outside water supply was plumbed directly to the long-handle hand-pumps installed at the kitchen and bathroom sinks and the bathtub in the main house. It was also plumbed to the hand-pump in a small building behind the house that served as a summer kitchen and a place to wash laundry, to can garden produce, and to butcher chickens and hogs. This water supply remained relatively cool and unfrozen the year around. Generally, it was used for cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, canning, butchering, and bathing. But it could be drunk, too, after boiling it.

Modern cisterns

Modern cisterns operate much like the ones described above. However, instead of being built into the ground from scratch, they are buried prefabricated ones instead. That is, these cisterns could be prefabricated concrete receptacles, or they could be large prefabricated heavy-duty plastic tanks capped with fairly large screw-on tops, similar to the ones seen on certain lawn-treatment trucks.

Also, today’s aluminum, steel, plastic, or copper eave gutters will have porous or solid coverings. Thus, the amount of debris entering the cisterns from the rooftops will be minimal. Yet, the fine sand-like material shed by asphalt or composite shingles will need to be filtered out early during the harvesting process; else, it will eventually have to be removed from the buried cistern. The plumbing for the modern cistern will be heavy plastic pipe. Of course, the pump itself will probably be an electric one, its size and accessories will depend on how the harvested water is used.

More-than-likely, because most of us already have reliable purified municipal indoor drinking and bathing water supplies, this cistern water will be used for outdoor purposes, like, for the sprinkling of lawns and gardens, for filling fish ponds and small treated swimming pools, for watering trees and animals, and for washing vehicles, driveways, patios, decks, and houses. The following three advantages of the modern buried cistern system suggest this technology will work well today: 1) they are hidden from view and out-of-the-way by being underground, 2) they do not foster the production of algae or mosquitoes in the summer time, and 3) they help conserve the municipal storm-drainage systems and drinking water supplies.

Further information on cisterns

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Cistern http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cistern

Author contact: j__l__d@sbcglobal.net

Author: J Delms
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Make PCB Assembly

Great article. The problem I have with cisterns described above is that they can collapse or someone can fall into them. Here is a solution Aquascape came up with:

Aquascape uses plastic boxes to fill the void of excavation so the cistern doesn’t collapse and a person can’t fall in. With filters and recirculating pumps the water stays clean of debris.

Also, as illustrated in this picture, rainwater is collected from between the pavers! Caution must be exercised when cleaning the pavers that chemicals are not introduced into the system.

http://www.rainxchange.com/downloads/rainxchange-rainwater-capture-system-solutions-guide.pdf