The Ridgerunner

Now that we’ve had some rain and meteorologists are predicting more to come throughout the fall and winter months, here are some ideas for catching and using rainwater.

Residential irrigation can account for 40 percent of domestic water consumption in a given municipality. Rain barrels not only store water, they help decrease demand during the sweltering summer months. Only 1/4 inch of rainfall runoff from the average roof will completely fill the typical barrel. Collection of water from rooftop runoff can provide an ample supply of this free ’soft water’ containing no chlorine, lime or calcium. Because it tends to have fewer sediments and dissolved salts than municipal water, rain water is ideal for a multitude of applications, including biodynamic and organic vegetable gardens, raised planter beds for botanicals, indoor tropicals like ferns and orchids, automobile washing, and cleaning household windows. Saving water in this manner will reduce the demand for treated tap water.

Rainwater diversion will also help decrease the burden on water treatment facilities. The storage of rainwater is also recommended for general emergency preparedness, or for areas prone to disasters or drought. A good formula to remember: one inch of rain on a 1000 sq ft roof yields 623 gallons of water. Calculate the yield of your roof by multiplying the square footage of your roof by 623 and divide by 1000.