| Examples of simple rainwater
harvesting |
| |
Rain
Barrels- Rain barrels are the simplest
and least expensive way to capture and use
rainwater.
The Conservation Foundation sells thousands of
rain barrels every year.
(Visit our
Rain Barrel Page) |
 |
| |
Underground Cistern-
A rain tank or cistern can be placed
underground with your downspouts directed to
it. A pump is used to get the rainwater out of
the tank and usable. |
 |
| |
|
Aboveground Cistern- A cistern can also
be placed above ground to capture rainwater.
Gravity (or pumps) can then be used to move the
water to places where you need it. |
 |
| |
Multi-tank Systems-
One storage tank not enough? Many
homeowners connect several tanks together to
store as much water as possible. You can be as
creative as you want. |
 |
|
Rainwater harvesting is
becoming a new tool in the water conservation
and stormwater management. The practice of
rainwater harvesting dates back to the earliest
days of civilization yet was nearly lost in the
age of inexpensive and readily available
municipal water supplies. Lately, with the cost
and supply of municipal water becoming an issue,
there has been a resurgence of interest in
rainwater harvesting by home and building
owners.
Rainwater Harvesting refers to the collection
and storage of rain. Collection is usually from
rooftops and storage in catchment tanks or
cisterns. Stored water can be used for
non-potable purposes such as irrigating lawns
and landscaping, washing cars, or even flushing
toilets. Rainwater harvesting systems can range
from a simple barrel at the bottom of a
downspout to multiple tanks with pumps and
controls. Before the creation of public water
utilities, rainwater harvesting provided water
for many American homes. It is still popular in
places with limited water resources.
Using purified drinking water for purposes like
irrigating landscape is a waste of a valuable
resource. Fox Valley residents are asking more
questions about the role of conservation in
extending the supply of drinking water. Stored
rain water can substitute for piped drinking
water for many uses where a high level of purity
is not required.
Rainwater harvesting is also effective in
reducing stormwater runoff pollution entering
the Fox River. When rain falls, it is clean, but
it immediately picks up pollutants from rooftops
and pavement. This pollution is carried into
storm drains and then into streams. Collecting
stormwater from rooftops and directing it to
storage tanks so it can later be used for
irrigation decreases the volume and rate of
runoff. If we can reduce runoff, we can reduce
flooding, water pollution, erosion, and stream
habitat degradation; thus, a cleaner and
healthier Fox River. |
| Did you know? |
Captured rainwater can be stored,
filtered and used for:
• Landscape irrigation
• Topping off pools, water features
and hot tubs
• Washing cars, patios and decks
• Flushing toilets and washing your
clothes
And, you can save money! Can you think
of other ways to use rainwater? |
| Did you know? |
• One inch of rain on a 2,000
sq. ft. roof sheds 1,250 gallons of
water.
Our local average rainfall is 36 inches. This roof could “harvest” and
reuse
45,000 gallons of clean rainwater each year.
• The average suburban home uses up
to 3,000 gallons of drinking water
weekly
for landscape irrigation.
• More than 66,000 gallons of
drinking water is used outdoors per
home,
per year. This is about 70 percent of a homes’ total water usage per
year. |
| |
| Links to Rainwater
Harvesting information and resources: |
|
How to build a rainwater collection
system |
|
GardenWatersaver.com |
|
HarvestingRainwater.com |
|
Rainwater Harvesting in Illinois article
pdf |
|
Rainwater Harvesting - Wikipedia |
|
Rain XChange Rainwater Harvest Systems |
 |
Click Here
for large pdf photo of the Rain Xchange system |
| |
| |
Read more about rainwater harvesting
in the
Online Guide,
page 14-15 |
|
|
| |
|
