These past days, despite the sprinkling of rains here and there, talk of water shortages being imminent made it to the news media. Have we not had too much of rain just a few months ago, too much that many areas were inundated for days? Extreme weather conditions that increase rate of evaporation and deliver heavy precipitation are hallmarks of climate change. How should we prepare ourselves for its ill effects?
For this post, I’ll recommend that we HARVEST THE RAIN. Let's get a briefing from a rainwater harvesting expert, Brad Lancaster. Watch the video of his below.
The Philippines receive as much as 200 inches of rain in some parts. Where does the water go? Some go back to the sea after passing though numerous water tributaries (canals, streams, rivers); some seep back down underground; some evaporate; some get stored in dams; and some are used up. If we examine the trail of the rain after it has fallen, you’ll be amazed by how much we, the civilized man, have altered the natural landscape and natural cycles. How? We’ve built a lot of impervious surfaces that bars water to recharge our underground water storage (our aquifers). Those who have dug wells or installed pipes for pumping out water from deep under, especially in urbanized zones, should notice how deep the water level has gone. They would need longer pipes to draw out water. It wasn’t always so, of course. Through time, water going out is much less than water going back down.
Most of the city’s water needs are sourced from the water reservoirs (dams) anyway, some would say. Our dams, even those in other countries, weren’t designed for climate change. In seasons of frequent rains, dams will release water so it will not reach its maximum capacity. In drier seasons, however, the volume it stores proves not sufficient in the long run. That's what the news carried last week: impending water shortage.
Going back to trailing the water course: most of the water that fall in developed areas are directed to drainage canals and pipes. It’s a fast process: run-off on non-absorbent surfaces flow freely fast, driven by gravity towards the natural water tributaries. These waters carry dirt and contaminants of all types. The more natural course is for water to seep down through the many-layered ground, thus, filtering water into a more useful form.
Rain is free. No water bills will be charged us. There will be some costs to harvesting rainwater, but that can be easily offset by the savings we’ll realize by utilizing the free water. The free rain water can be used in our gardening and landscaping irrigation needs; and in some domestic functions like toilet flushing. Harvesting rain from the roof will necessitate just some plumbing changes--diversion of gutters to a storage (as simple as a drum). The capacity depends on how much space you can have for your reservoir. 600 gallons can be collected from a 1,000 sq.ft. roof covered with an inch of rainfall.
As in the video shown, the excess water can still be stored in the surrounding soil. That’s why it’s not good to have every open space cemented (parking, pedestrian trails). Use pervious paver blocks as an alternative to some surfaces.
Rain gardens or bioswales can be constructed in order for us slow water down, to let it seep down back underground. What are bioswales? It’s just a technical term for a contoured and vegetated ground, to resemble a basin, where water can be captured. There is a good reference website on creating rain gardens, raingardens.org. While most of the available videos sand websites I’ve suggested are not local, they are still very useful for us.
video by Backyard Farmer http://byf.unl.eduAs you can see, there is a lot that we can do for ourselves; and there is a lot that nature has provided us that work best in their natural states of functioning. Harvesting water helps us save in water bills, helps slow down run-off (flood/erosion), and helps recharge our underground storage of filtered water.
You may share this post to others. Let's help spread the word on sustainable living.
Learn Green. Live Green. Build Green.
______________________
Thanks to Brad Lancaster for the video. You may purchase his books for more details. Here is his website, HarvestingRainWater.com.
You might want to look at an actual house designed to be water-efficient? See it here:
__________________________
WORD FROM THE SPONSOR
Ezekiel 34:26-27
I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. [a] I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.
Matthew 5:45
...that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Psalm 68:9
You gave abundant showers, O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
Psalm 104:8
they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
Comments