The Many Ways You Can Harvest Rainwater
The practice of harvesting water is becoming more common
, especially in areas experiencing drought or minimal amounts of annual rainfall. While many modern building practices function to remove water from our homes and require that we pump water from deep within the earth to irrigate our landscapes, water harvesting is about retaining that water and using less from the ground.
Water harvesting is also defined as "the process of intercepting stormwater runoff from a surface (e.g. roof, parking area, land surface), and putting it to beneficial use." There are many ways storm water can be intercepted, collected, slowed down and retained. Many cities and towns are encouraging such harvesting for new developments, both commercial and residential. Harvesting stormwater has been shown to reduce site discharge and erosion as well as save the harvester water costs.
How does one save on water costs through water harvesting? The harvester is increasing water availability for on-site vegetation and therefore reduces water bills and groundwater pumping. The water harvested from storms is also typically better for landscape plants as it is lower in salt content and higher in nitrogen.
Water harvesting doesn't have to be expensive, especially if the work is integrated into the property design, grading and landscaping costs. With the right design, one can combine detention/retention landscape buffers and visual screens into single features.
There are a handful of ways water is retained. One such way is through the development of a microbasin. Microbasins are used on gently sloped or nearly flat properties with a low volume of runoff water. Microbasins are not suitable in washes or areas with heavy stormwater flow. Microbasins are made up of berms which direct water to spread out evenly where desired. These berms are usually covered with riprap or vegetation to protect them from the impact of rain. The microbasin is also vegetated and mulched to encourage rapid infiltration of the stormwater.
The second type of water harvesting is through what is called Swales On -Contour. These are built to intercept small to moderate volumes of shallow, slow-moving storm water with swales and berms constructed on-contour. On-contour swales should not be constructed within a drainage channel, and should be at least 10 feet from any building foundation.
There is also Swales Off-Contour. These are constructed at a slight angle from the contour line. Off-contour swales convey stormwater slowly down slope in a controlled manner to maximize infiltration, support vegetation, control erosion, reduce stormwater flow velocity, and eventually discharge any excess stormwater to a safe location.
If you have rapid amounts of storm water, it might be best to have a French Drain installed. These drains are rock-filled trenches that funnel stormwater through the sides, ends and bottom of the trench where soil and water meet. French drains are typically used on flat to moderate slopes. French drains
should not be built in a watercourse where silt could quickly clog them. They can be used on steeper slopes where water harvesting basins would have only small storage volumes.
For small watercourses, the use of a Gabion may be appropriate. This is a semipermeable barrier or grade control structure built to slow, but not stop, the flow of stormwater in a small watercourse to help prevent or repair upstream erosion.
Last is the more common use of harvesting stormwater and that is with the use of water tanks. These tanks are typically stored on rooftops and collect rainfall. The water is then used to water landscaping as needed.
Water harvesting doesn't have to be complicated. You can consult a local engineer to help you better utilize the runoff water on your property.
The Many Ways You Can Harvest Rainwater
By: Sheila Harris
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