The building industry should educate home buyers on the value of water catchment— offering systems as a standard or upgrade feature and giving home buyers a sell sheet on the benefits of conserving water through rainwater catchment. “At a minimum, sustainable builders should design for potential future rainwater harvesting system installations to include provisions for gutters, downspouts, location of storage tanks, pumps, controls, and sanitation features,” advises Hammerstrom.
DiTullio believes that water conservation reform will come, whether builders or home buyers push for it. “The major change I see coming forth is based on the rising cost of clean water. It is a very reasonable assumption that rainwater harvesting will be seen as a better option than having that costly resource simply drain back into the ground untapped,” he says.
The uptick in rainwater catchment use will continue to grow in arid areas of the country and by early adopters, who see it as an easy way to live more sustainably.
“Rainwater harvesters are primarily conservation and effi ciency advocates,” says Hammerstrom. “It makes no sense to spend precious funds to augment the supply of water if you haven’t extracted the greatest benefit from increased water effi ciency and conservation first. If you were driving down the road and found that your parking brake was on, the first solution would not be to buy a bigger engine.”
SMALL AND SIMPLE
At a minimum, you should place rain barrels under all downspouts on your green houses. Barrel capacities range from under 50 to over 300 gallons, and they can be connected in a series under multiple downspouts.
Rain barrels come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and finishes. A typical design will include an opening at the top to allow for flow from the downspout, a tight-fitting lid, and a spigot at or near the bottom of the barrel. In addition, it is crucial that they include an overflow outlet or downspout diverter. This device channels the water into the barrel, and once the barrel is full, the backpressure redirects the water to the spout and away from the house.
Remind your buyers that they need to winterize the system each year: Simply empty the barrel and, if possible, store it indoors or turn it upside down to prevent water accumulation that could freeze and crack the barrel wall.
This barrel by The Great American Rain Barrel Co. is one of the largest on the market at 60 gallons. This heavy-duty receptacle comes with threaded spigot (for easy hose attachment), overflow fitting, drain plug, screw-on cover, and instructions. It’s made in the United States from recycled food grade barrels. It retails for about $130.
www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com
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