They Help Customers Catch, Use Rainwater

They Help Customers Catch, Use Rainwater BUILDINGS New Techniques 32-6-43 Just one inch of rain on a 1,000 sq. ft. roof gathers 600 gal. of water. Saving that water is especially important in dry areas like Arizona or in other areas in the South. But the idea can save money anywhere. Margaret Nicoll, co-owner of High Desert Rain Catchment, explains that some auto dealerships wash their cars every couple of days. After washing, they have to dry the cars. But with a rain catchment system, one dealership discovered something. "Rainwater is so soft they don't have to dry the cars anymore, so they cut down on labor and water," Nicoll says. The systems also work in cold weather climates as long as pipes are blown dry for winter. A recent customer in Iowa was regularly hauling 12,000 gal. of water to his vineyard during a drought. He's installing large underground tanks and plans to trench lines from multiple roofs to fill them. Adding a line of underground and above ground storage systems was a natural addition to the landscape business of Nicoll's brother, McRae Nicoll. He got started making water storage systems for vegetable gardens during a drought five years ago. "We promote doing laundry with the rainwater, then using that grey water on plants. You slow down the loop and more slowly percolate the water into the aquifer instead of the sewer," Nicoll says. "You're taking your water supply into your own hands." Rainwater is softer for doing laundry and better for plants. The company offers a variety of systems including passive irrigation, pressurized pumps with irrigation inter-tie, underground tanks, earthwork systems that utilize berms and swells, and greywater systems with branch draining systems. Nicoll says, "The most popular size is 1,000 gallons." Generally, the installed tank price is $2 to $2.25/gal., which includes the tank (made of food grade plastic) and a simple above ground gravity fed system. Prices vary according to soil type and the system." Other companies, such as Rain Harvest Systems with a store in Cumming, Georgia, offer similar products from rain barrels to complete systems. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, High Desert Rain Catchment, P.O. Box 13008, Prescott, Arizona 86304 (ph 928 308-5992; www.highdesertrain.com; highdesertrain @gmail.com); or Rain Harvest Systems, LLC, 5190-D Performance Drive, Suite D. Cumming, Georgia 30040 (ph 770 889-2533; www.rainharvest.com; info@rainharvest. com).

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