Rainwater Harvesting: Getting over 600 gallons from an inch of rain on a 1,000 square feet creates an incredible opportunity to gather and use this resource as best as we can. Having it on a higher elevation, too, allows us to let gravity help us out. Water is our most valuable resource and we want to value that with intelligent design for our homescape.
Rain Tanksare a great way capture this water and store it for the dry season. We can easily have thousands of gallons of water available to us after a rain, especially after monsoon season here in Arizona, that can last us and reduce the need to pull from our wells and watershed.
Natural Drainage systems provide both a beautiful landscape, dry creek feature and also optimizes the water falling out of your gutters or off your roof to support plants that are made for this kind of watering. This can ensure that water is directed away from your foundation and towards any plants that could best use this deep watering.
Landscaping is also an easy way to convert a downpour into a long-lasting watering for your plants and a replenishing force for your watershed. Plants use their roots to aerate and loosen the soil, which allows for water to sink and be collected for the plants to grow. A compost mulch adds a dense organic value and nutrient supplement to your soil, especially when it rains, and also absorbs a lot more water then bare soil while reducing erosion. Wood chip or leaf litter mulch provides a final boost to water retention by shading your soil from the sun, insulating the moisture, further shielding your landscape from erosion, and it looks great!
In the state of Arizona, it is legal to collect any rainwater that falls on your property for future use.
Rainwater Rules of Thumb: 1” of rainfall x 1,000 sqft = ~600 gallons 1" of rainfall x 1 acre = ~27,000 gallons A raintank itself can cost around $0.50/gal. An install including that is upwards of $1-$3/gal.
Gary’s Rule of Thumb: No matter the size of tank, it will fill up easily and quicker than you would think!
Arizona Rainfall: The highest annual rainfall is 28.46 inches at Junipine and the lowest is 10.55 inches at Cottonwood.
View my presentation on Greywater & Rainwater Harvesting here:
Tuscon and Brad Lancaster are doing an incredible job with using rainwater to the best benefit for our communities. These are some illustrations and examples of how we can change our entire approach to it all. https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/