Thursday, February 5, 2009

Design and Installation of Rainwater Catchment Systems


Families in the U.S. spend thousands of dollars each year paying for water. We pay for bottles of water, tap water, water for washing cars and clothes, water for drinking, water for the garden and many other uses. For many, the water and sewer bill is one of the most expensive utilities every month. All the while, there is free water falling from the sky- in the form of rain! With a simple water catchment system, a household can save thousands of dollars every year. The water collected in barrels can be used for washing cars, watering the garden and many other household tasks.

Without treatment, collected rainwater is not safe to drink, but for those who are interested, methods of water treatment using aquatic plants and microorganisms can also be discussed.

The chlorine in most tap water is harmful to plants because it sterilizes the soil from which the plant absorbs it's nutrients. Rainwater will help your garden thrive!

In today's world, fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce and/or expensive. If everyone in Lancaster County had just two rainwater catchment barrels, we could save millions of gallons of water, and thousands of dollars. Rainwater catchment is a great insurance policy for times of drought or emergency. What an easy way to make Lancaster more sustainable!

Homegrown uses discarded or recycled food grade barrels for our water catchment systems, so they are inexpensive and environmentally friendly.

The pictures above are examples of two simple rainwater catchment systems from the U.S.