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A Rainwater Harvesting Primer By Neal Shapiro, CPSWQ, CSM, Secretary, ARCSA Above: This Menard, Texas grade school educational garden features two ince rainwater harvesting is a collection tanks, three rain gardens, a large variety of native and adapted plants, growing enterprise, LC/DBM asked and 14 raised vegetable beds. Photo: Billy Kniffen the American Rainwater Catchment • Is less polluted and cheaper to treat than stormwater. Less polluSystems Association (ARCSA) to tion enters the MS4 system, and ultimately water bodies, which helps share some concepts that can help landscape municipalities more easily comply with the federal Clean Water Act contractors expand into this sector. and state water quality regulations. Societies are facing numerous water supply challenges from a variety of areas, including shortages of freshwater, climatic oscillations, and degraded water quality. One presently underused water resource is precipitation, harvested from rainwater or stormwater for direct applications. Wherever it lands, rainfall can be harvested, given an approved design by the local jurisdiction and proper treatment that meets local health codes and water quality standards. Benefits and Uses The primary benefits of water catchment systems are non-potable and potable water supply augmentation and water quality improvement. Onsite rainfall harvesting: • Retains the maximum rainfall amount possible on an annual and sustainable basis. • Reduces the amount of stormwater runoff entering the public right-of-way, e.g. the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4). • Delivers water with an acceptable water quality to an end user at a minimal energy cost compared to pumped municipal water. 20 LC DBM Drip irrigation is most practical when using rainwater for landscape irrigation. It can often be applied by gravity pressure alone or used in combination with mechanical equipment. This water can also be used for spray irrigation if enough rain can be harvested. Four Simple Design Steps for a Rainfall Harvesting System Contractors' ability to install an effective rainfall harvesting system that requires minimal maintenance will be essential as the rainwater-stormwater harvesting phenomenon moves from simple rain barrels to large cisterns and municipal and commercial applications. No matter how big or small the system, four essential design steps will ensure a harvesting system is effective and sustainable, and requires little annual maintenance. 1. Rainfall that lands on a roof, parking lot, road or any other impermeable surface, or its runoff that flows through a storm drain system, must be properly pre-filtered to some level to remove debris, oil and grease, which collect on impermeable surfaces or in storm drains, before it enters a storage tank. The quality of the pre-filter will determine the amount of maintenance the rest of the harvest-