Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting means capturing and storing rain that falls on-site (usually on roofs). It is generally used for irrigation and toilet flushing or other greywater uses, though it can also be used for drinking water if it is ade uately treated.

!apturing rainwater can be a valuable way to reduce or even eliminate a building"s use of municipal potable water, without re uiring reductions in water use by occupants. However, it is of course more effective in rainy climates than dry ones. Rainwater harvesting systems are measured by their area for collecting water (in m# or ft#) and the volume of water they store (in liters or gallons). $imple rainwater collection systems have three main elements% the roof or other catchment area, the storage tank(s), and the gutter and other piping that directs the water from the catchment area to the tank.

photo% &eremy 'aludi

The Aldo Leopold Center turns a rainwater-harvesting gutter into an aesthetic water feature
(dvanced systems may also use a pump to pull water from the tank to where it is used, and may purify the water with additional devices such as filters and ultraviolet disinfection. If the rainwater is meant for drinking or watering gardens, be sure to choose a tank material that does not leach to)ins or foster pathogens. 'or e)ample, galvani*ed steel tanks are lined with polyethylene or other food-grade liner. If the rainwater is collected from a roof is meant for drinking or watering gardens, be sure to choose roofing materials that do not leach to)ins. 'or instance, asphalt shingles leach to)ins into water, while metal roofs or slate shingles do not.

Predicting Rainwater Harvest Rate

+o si*e a system for a site, you must choose the water collecting area to supply enough volume of water for the site occupants, given the site"s rainfall patterns. +he simplest e uation for system si*ing is this%
(Volume) = (Area) (Precipitation) (% Efficiency)

,olume is the amount of rain harvested in that time period, measured in liters. (rea is the rainwater capture area, measured in m#. -recipitation is the amount of rainfall in that time period (in mm). .fficiency is the percent of water actually captured, as opposed to splashing out of the system somewhere/ it is usually 012 - 342.5 In .nglish units, a coefficient must be added%
(Volume) = (Area) (Precipitation) (0.62 gal/ft2/inch) (% Efficiency)

Here volume is in gallons, area is in ft#, precipitation is in inches.

Occupant Needs
+he volume of water needed by the occupants will vary based on the number of occupants, the amount of time they spend on site, the activities they engage in, and the e uipment or processes used on site. $ee 6ater-.fficient 'i)tures and . uipment and 6ater-.fficient Irrigation and 7andscaping for calculations to determine water usage needs. +hese needs are often constant throughout the year, but if they vary by season, be sure to incorporate that in your calculations.

Rainfall
6eather data from +89 files can be used to determine rainfall patterns. +hese will be in mm or inches of rain. :e sure to calculate average monthly rainfall for the different months of the year, not simply an annual total. 8ost sites have much more rainfall in some seasons than others, and e)cess water can always be drained, but a lack of water re uires municipal water use to compensate.

Efficiency
;ifferent gutter systems, different roof pitches, and different materials can affect system efficiency. 'or e)ample, lower-pitch roofs cause less loss than steeply-pitched roofs.

i!ing Rainwater Tan"s

+here is no one standard recommended si*e for rainwater storage tanks. +he si*e depends on the site"s water needs, the weather, and whether the site is connected to a municipal water supply or not. 6hile bigger tanks allow for more water independence, the tank is usually the most e)pensive part of the system. $ystems that do not have municipal water backup (called <off-grid<) must hold much more water, in case of shortage. +he amount of oversi*ing depends on how crucial the water needs are--discretionary water use like lawns or water features can be done without for days or weeks at a time, while drinking water cannot.

photo% &eremy 'aludi

Off-grid residential rainwater catch#ent tan"s

+he main consideration for si*ing a storage tank is the worst-case length of time between rains. +his can be seen by graphing the +89 precipitation data by day, rather than simply finding monthly precipitation averages. (fter you have calculated the occupants" water needs and the

average fre uency and magnitude of rain in the dry season, you should multiply the resulting tank si*e by a <safety factor< to provide room for error or e)treme weather. - See more at: http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/buildings/rainwaterharvesting#sthash.SyXIu5 b.dpu!