If 1-inch of rain falls on a 1,000 square foot roof a total of 600 gallons of water can be collected to offset potable water used on irrigation. The purity of this precious resource allows plants to thrive and explode with color, fruit and foliage allowing homeowners to use less irrigation while providing higher quality water.

With water cost rising and more inhabitants moving to urban areas the implementation of rainwater harvesting systems is on the rise with more options than even available. Rainwater harvesting can be accomplished in two ways, storage in a tank or storage in the soil. There are four parts to a tank system, capture, conveyance, storage and distribution. Tanks can be small above ground reservoirs barrels that sends water to a larger underground or under-deck tank, or to a flexible pillow tank in a crawl space, or to one of the new style thin tanks made to go along side of a house where space is limited. It is best to apply rainwater by hand to avoid over watering and wasteful use of this precious resource.

If tanks are not an option, consider storing rainwater in the soil by using earthworks, a strategy of creating berms, basins and terraces to allow rain to fall and slowly seep into the ground to irrigate plants and recharge the aquifer. A new technique for this is also called a rain garden, a depression in the landscape where water pools and infiltrates into healthy soil and mulch to reduce run-off while irrigating seasonal plantings. Earthworks and rain gardens require a soil sponge which is created by applying compost, mulch and an array of amendments that will break down depleted soil and encourage biological life that results in a rich topsoil that retains water, therefore reducing irrigation needs.

In addition to capturing rainwater, many states have now adopted a new greywater building code that allows homeowners to reuse laundry and bath water to irrigate plants in the landscape providing they meet the criteria set out in the code. The benefits of greywater are numerous, from adding nutrients to the soil to reducing irrigation cost, it is another example of an old sensible idea finding rebirth in our time of transition back to simple sustainable ways of living.

For more information visit www.RainThanks.com or call 619-807-9193.