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         How we could harvest rain water in rainy seasons

Rainwater harvesting is collecting the run-off from a structure or other impervious surface in order to store it for later use. Traditionally, this involves harvesting the rain from a roof. The rain will collect in gutters that channel the water into downspouts and then into some sort of storage vessel. Rainwater collection systems can be as simple as collecting rain in a rain barrel or as elaborate as harvesting rainwater into large cisterns to supply your entire household demand. The idea of rainwater harvesting usually conjures up images of an old farm cistern or thoughts of developing countries. The reality is that rainwater harvesting is becoming a viable alternative for supplying our households and businesses with water. It’s not just for the farm anymore! There are many countries such as Germany and Australia where rainwater harvesting is a norm. Due to the green building movement, you will be seeing rainwater harvesting systems become more popular here in America. The collection of rainwater is known by many names throughout the world. It ranges from rainwater collection to rainwater harvesting to rainwater catchment. In addition, terms such as roof water collection or rooftop water collection is also used in other countries. We believe that rainwater harvesting is a viable technology in an urban setting. All that is necessary to take advantage of this resource is to capture the free water falling on your roof and direct it to a rainwater storage tank. By doing this, you can take control of your water supply and replace all or at least a substantial portion of your water needs. Rainwater harvesting systems can be configured to supply your whole house and/or your landscape needs.

What Are The Benefits Of Rainwater Collection? • Rainwater is a relatively clean and absolutely free source of water • You have total control over your water supply (ideal for cities with water restrictions) • It is socially acceptable and environmentally responsible • It promotes self-sufficiency and helps conserve water • Rainwater is better for landscape plants and gardens because it is not chlorinated • It reduces storm water runoff from homes and businesses • It can solve the drainage problems on your property while providing you with free water • It uses simple technologies that are inexpensive and easy to maintain • It can be used as a main source of water or as a backup source to wells and municipal water • The system can be easily retrofitted to an existing structure or built during new home construction • System are very flexible and can be modular in nature, allowing expansion, reconfiguration, or relocation, if necessary • It can provide an excellent back-up source of water for emergencies What Are The Uses Of Collected Rainwater? You can essentially use rainwater anywhere you use tap water. The idea of using drinking water to flush our toilets and water our lawns is wasteful and irresponsible, especially in light of population growth and water shortages across the country. Rainwater collection is a technique to green your home and to lessen your environmental footprint. There are basically three areas where rainwater can be used: • Irrigation use • Indoor, non-potable use • Whole house, potable use

Here are some ideas for specific uses of rainwater: • Hand water your lawn and garden • Connect rainwater collection system to irrigation/sprinkler system • Wash your vehicles • Wash your pets • Refill your fountains and fish ponds • Refill your swimming pool • Replace the use of tap water with rainwater to wash your driveways and sidewalks (if you don’t use a broom) • Use it for all indoor non-potable fixtures (toilets and clothes washer) • Use it for all potable needs when properly filtered and disinfected • Use it for industrial processes instead of municipally treated water

THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF RAINWATER HARVESTING • Rainwater harvesting can reduce storm water runoff from a property. The elimination of runoff can reduce contamination of surface water with pesticides, sediment, metals, and fertilizers. • By reducing storm water runoff, rainwater harvesting can reduce a storm’s peak flow volume and velocity in local creeks, streams, and rivers, thereby reducing the potential for streambank erosion. • Rainwater harvesting systems can be employed as simple and effective methods to meet a municipality’s storm water management program requirements of individual properties. • It is an excellent source of water for plants and landscape irrigation since it has no chemicals such as fluoride and chloramines (chlorine). THE WATER CONSERVATION BENEFITS OF RAINWATER HARVESTING • The rainwater that falls on your roof and property is essentially free. All it takes is a method to harvest it into a tank or cistern for later use. • Rainwater harvesting can be a great educational tool to get people to recognize their individual or household water usage. This can get them to start conserving water in other areas around their home. • For communities that rely on imported water to supply their needs, collecting rainwater that falls naturally in the community can reduce the need for imported water.

• Rainwater harvesting helps utilities reduce peak demands during summer months, saving treated water for more important and appropriate water uses. • While rainwater can be a perfect primary water source for many uses and situations, it is also a great backup water supply for emergency situations.

10 Uses for Rain Water Collecting your own rainwater is an excellent way to conserve this precious resource. A basic rainwater collection system catches rainwater from your roof or other surface and channels it into a container for storage. Rainwater itself is generally clean, but it can pick up microorganisms, pollutants and debris when it hits your roof. This is why systems for rainwater use inside your home often include filtration or other treatments for safety. Outdoor rainwater collection systems don’t need as much treatment because the water is typically used outside. One of the easiest rain collectors to make is a repurposed old garbage can. Whereas, you can install a rainwater cistern if you want a larger system. There are many different uses for collected rainwater no matter what type of rainwater harvesting system you have. 1. Drinking and cooking Rainwater can actually be very high-quality water for human consumption. It’s relatively pure and doesn’t contain any chlorine or other chemicals, which are often used to sanitize city tap water. The problem starts when rainwater is collected from roofs or other dirty surfaces. You can make rainwater safe to drink by installing a filtration system, boiling or distilling the water. Some systems can also directly collect clean rainwater to use for drinking. 2. Bathing and laundry Washing clothes accounts for about 22 percent of indoor water use in the United States. Showers take 17 percent, and baths 2 percent. If you used harvested rainwater for all of these, you could reduce your municipal water use by over 40 percent. Depending on how clean you want your washing water, you could use either treated or untreated rainwater. SFGate has some suggestions on how you can treat rainwater to use for showering.

3. Flushing toilets This is another huge water drain. Toilets use almost 27 percent of water in your home. To use collected rainwater instead, try keeping a bucket of it next to your toilet. When you need to flush, pour the rainwater straight into the bowl of the toilet. This will automatically flush your toilet. Make sure your bucket can hold the amount of your toilet’s tank. For instance, if you have a toilet with a 6 gallon (22.7 liter) tank, use at least a 6 gallon bucket of water Another option is to plumb a pipe for rainwater directly into your house and connect it to your toilet for flushing. Check out a very low-tech method to do this. 4. Watering lawns, gardens and houseplants Rainwater is naturally designed to water plants, and it can easily be used for your indoor and outdoor gardens. You can use rainwater in watering cans to water plants by hand. You can also attach any rainwater storage tanks directly to an automatic irrigation system. Passive systems to conserve and collect water in your soil are also helpful. Plant garden beds along the edges of your driveway, or at the bottom of a hill, to take advantage of water’s natural movement. Also, try planting a raingarden at the ends of your eaves troughs to catch any excess runoff. 5. Composting Water is essential for proper decomposition of your compost pile. Make sure you water your compost with the rest of your garden. Harvested rainwater is also good for compost tea. Home Composting Made Easy describes a simple way to make compost tea. 6. Water for wildlife, pets or livestock You can use recycled rainwater for birdbaths, troughs, or other containers for wildlife to visit. Rainwater is also typically safe for pets or livestock to drink or wash in, especially if you have a method to collect clean rainwater directly.

7. Outdoor ponds and water features Rainwater can be filtered for use in fountains or other water features with pumps that could get clogged. Otherwise, you can fill outdoor ponds and pools with any type of collected rainwater. 8. Rinsing vegetables Dirty rainwater is great for rinsing vegetables straight from your garden, especially root vegetables. Try filling a large bucket with rainwater, adding some carrots, potatoes, beets or other hard vegetables, and swish them together to knock the soil off. 9. Washing vehicles and equipment Washing outdoor items is another excellent use for untreated rainwater. Cars, garden tools, lawnmowers, tractors and even the driveway and sides of your house are all perfect candidates. 10. Fire protection A rainwater catchment system with a large storage tank could give you some extra protection if you live in an area prone to wildfires. Make sure you also install a good pump so you can access the water quickly if needed.