General Rainwater Articles
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This site has hundreds of articles on various water-related topics. Capturing the rain is one way to help save water! It can be simple, with just a rain barrel, to complex with a complete potable water system. It is a proven way to reduce your potable water usage, plus it is better for your plants. Coupled with great soil and your plants will be healthy, last longer and provide you year-in, year-out well being.
Below are some articles to get started or start with the FREE Site Analyzer and save some time. >> Site Analyzer
Irrigating with Rainwater - Filter It First
Although rain is almost pure, it needs filtration for every use including irrigation. Although in the sky rainwater is relatively clean, it is not by the time it reaches your irrigation system. Your roof, your conveyance system, your tanks all add contaminants to your rainwater that need to be removed prior to using it in your irrigation system... >> more
How Much Can I Harvest?
Did you know that your home is a potential powerhouse of rainwater catchment? For example, a home of 1,000 square feet can capture over 10,000 gallons of rain a year in an area of moderate rainfalls. This free water can be used to irrigate your garden and lawn, refill your toilets, wash your laundry and many other uses. Use this FREE Site Analyzer tool report tol help you determine how much rainwater your home and lot can potentially catch. Then you can take the next step toward building your own rainwater harvesting system.
Capture and Learn
One day rainwater systems will be a standard feature of building construction just like indoor plumbing. It begins with relearning what is necessary and normal. We no longer allow buildings without indoor plumbing and in the future it will be the same for rainwater systems. Today, many schools ranging from kindergarten to college are installing rainwater harvesting systems. These systems are designed to capture rain water from the roofs and then store the water for future use. This is happening in our local Santa Fe Public Schools; a great place for rainwater systems. >> more
Rainwater Harvesting in Taos
Water is critical to life and especially so in Northern New Mexico. In the Taos area both commercial and private home builders are proactively adopting rain catchment systems, reusing greywater and xeriscaping. Taos has an average annual rainfall of 13 inches, so a house with 2,000 square feet of roof area can catch almost 15,000 gallons of rainwater a year. This is more than adequate for most households. >> more
Is Rainwater Harvesting a Good Investment?
Is harvesting rainwater a good investment? We will explore that question in depth in this three-part series, beginning in Part One with a traditional economic payback approach. The short answer is, yes, rainwater harvesting systems can deliver a good return on investment. In certain areas of the country and the world, catching rainwater for household use is the only cost-effective solution. In locations like central Texas, parts of Northern Mexico, and arid rocky areas where no municipal water system is available and where well drilling can be prohibitively expensive, harvesting rainwater is a smart economic and environmental choice.
Washington State Department of Ecology Clarifies Water Rights in Regards to Rainwater Harvesting
To the delight of the green building community and many other Washingtonians throughout the state, the Department of Ecology issued a policy statement issued on October 12th clarifying that water rights are not required for either the use of or the on-site storage of rainwater collected by a rooftop system or a guzzler (Guzzlers are devices used to catch and store rainwater and dew to provide wildlife or livestock with drinking water.) >> more
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Below are some additional great resources that cover rainwater harvesting.
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