Rainwater Harvest Catching On

RainwaterHarvest Catching On SPRAYING Miscellaneous 27-5-10 Harvesting rain water is a very old concept that people are now starting to show more interest in, says Alyson Sappington, district manager of the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District in Charlottesville, Virginia. "You're starting with much cleaner water than you get out of a stream or reservoir," she says. "Last year, we had a drought in Virginia and were inundated with calls from people whose wells were going dry. Many of them started collecting rain water as an option." Rain water provides "instant" soft water and there is no water bill to pay. "You can collect 750 gallons of water from a 1-in. rain on an average 1,200 sq. ft. residential roof," she says. "In this area, we normally get 42 inches of rain on average, so that translates into 31,500 gallons of water that could be collected. "In Texas, there are some farmers who have built a low-cost structure consisting of a steel roof on poles. It collects rainwater and also provides shade for cattle," she says. "A cistern holds the water for pumping into stock watering tanks." According to Sappington, rain harvested from rooftops should be filtered and disinfected before drinking. Carbon and ultraviolet filters can clean it up, and there are also "roof washers" available that can be incorporated into the system, collecting and segregating the first half inch of rain. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Alyson Sappington, district manager, Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, 2134 Berkmar Dr., Charlottesville, Va. 22901 (ph 434 975-0224; email: alyson-sappington@va.nacdnet.org); website: www.avenue.org/tjswcd; or American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association, Box 12521, Austin, Texas 78711; email: hari.krishna@twdb.state.tx.us); website: www.arcsa-usa.org).

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