Hydraulic ram pumps and Sling Pumps

Sourcebook Harvested RainwaterIn this section, Harvested Rainwater is rainwater that is captured from the roofs of buildings onresidential property. Harvested rainwater can be used for indoor needs at a residence, irrigation, or both,in whole or in part.CONSIDERATIONS:The Austin area receives an average of 32 inches of rain per year. A 2000 square foot area can capture36,000 gallons of water, which would match up 100 gallons per day in water demand. This is asignificant amount of water toward the needs of a water-conserving home.The quality of rainwater can vary with proximity to highly polluting sources. However, in general, thequality is very good. The softness of rainwater is valued for its cleaning abilities and benign effects onwater-using equipment. As an irrigation source, its acidity is helpful in the high PH soils of our regionand, as one would expect, is the best water for plants.Rainwater harvesting systems designed to fill all the water needs of a home can be similar in cost to theexpense of putting in a well. Operating costs for a rainwater system can be less. Rainwater collectionsystems designed to supplement the water needs of a home already on the city system for irrigationpurposes can be costly. The primary expense is in the storage tank (cistern). In our area, the cistern sizefor irrigation can be large due to the high temperatures and extended dry periods in the summer. If thesystem is not counted upon as the only source of irrigating water, building as large a cistern as one canafford is often the measuring gauge for cistern size.CommercialStatusImplementationIssuesRainwater HarvestingLegendhttp://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/rainwater.html (3 of 12) [1/13/2005 12:49:01 PM]