Why Harvest Rainwater

Since the rainwater is usually collected from the roofs of houses, it picks up very little contamination when it falls. You’ll of course want to keep your roof clean of debris and potential contaminants to maximize purity. The material your roof is made of is also important in how much contamination the water will carry.  The purpose of rain water harvesting is to catch the water and store it for future use before it has a chance to run off into lake, stream, river or soak into the ground.  A typical system would collect the rainwater from the roof or pavement using coarse mesh to prevent large debris from entering the system. It is important, however, to check existing catchments to prevent contact with hazardous materials such as lead paint, asbestos roof, etc. The chemicals and hard water from many of our municipal water systems can produce an imbalance in the soil of your garden. Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, and drought can also disrupt the balance and harmony of the soil. This imbalance causes trees and plants to weaken and makes them more susceptible to disease.

 Besides helping the environment, an obvious reason for harvesting rainwater is to save money. Depending on the size of your house and the amount of rainfall in your area, you can collect a substantial amount of rainwater with a simple system. This extra water can have a significant impact on your water bill. The use of rainwater combined with the domestic use of grey water can further increase your savings. Even if you live in a rural area and have your own well, the fact that rainwater is naturally soft water may be enough to justify harvesting rainwater.

Rainwater harvesting can provide a significant volume of water.  As a guide, for every 1 inch of rainfall that falls on 1,000 square feet of roof area 600 gallons of water is collected.