By Vic LeBlanc

(All photos courtesy Blue Ridge Atlantic Enterprises (www.braewater.com).

Here's a figure to consider; if 15 percent of U.S. homes utilized rainwater to irrigate their landscapes, an estimated one billion gallons of water would be saved per day.

Rainwater harvesting is slowly becoming more popular, according to Shawn Hatley, president of rainwater system providers Blue Ridge Atlantic Enterprises, based in Oakboro, North Carolina (www.braewater.com).

LandscapeNetwork.com initially met Shawn and fellow NC State grad and "green" design colleague Isaac Panzarella, of Raleigh-based Consider Design PA (www.considerdesign.com) at the landscape industry's "Green Industry Expo" in November 2004, as the pair worked to enlighten landscape designers and contractors on effective alternative ways to collect and store water for irrigation and other uses.

The two agreed to share what they know about rainwater harvesting, which both predict will become more popular in the months and years ahead.

A pump hook-up to your garden hose provides a low-cost way to move water out of a rain barrel or cistern at city pressures as gravity based rainwater collection systems typically do not create enough pressure to spray yards and gardens.

Pull the tap when you’re feeling parched

In drought times, which occur almost everywhere, bans on non-essential uses of water such as irrigation and washing cars would not apply for those have a ready supply of collected rainwater to literally tap.

Combine the historical use of cisterns and those built for present day use and there are roughly a quarter million systems currently in place in the U.S., Shawn says.

He shows he is well aware of his place at the cutting edge of a neo-classical industry when he exclaims, "There are cisterns under many of the ancient (and modern see www.g-cans.com) cities that were used to collect the surrounding water, underground vaulted systems and aqueducts that were amazing!

Photos above and below: Integrated rainwater collection systems can be designed free of visible "appertenances." By connecting the downspouts underground and directing the collected water to a below ground cistern, pipe work is "hidden" The pump is also located below ground with the cistern, which easily connects to an existing irrigation system for a beautiful looking landscape.

"We've been collecting water ever since man has been walking the earth, so we're not reinventing the wheel here; we're adapting equipment to meet contemporary water management challenges."

Austin, Texas, Portland Oregon, Chapel Hill and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina are among the locales Isaac identifies as hot spots for design/build projects that include rainwater collection systems.

"(The concept) is slowing eeking its way to everybody's radar," he adds, due to growing awareness and numbers of vocal supporters everywhere.

Waiting for the 'green' light bulb to go off

Isaac says he notices that even among those who support such environmental initiatives as open space and habitat preservation there is an emerging awareness about "green" design ways to "bring home" resource conservation efforts.

"We're good at pointing fingers and saying that companies and developments have an impact on the environment," he says. "But we all do. Individually, we're a small piece, but residential (water usage) adds up to a big piece of the pie."

Shawn sites that industry projections call for rainwater harvesting to become more widespread with the increase of tax incentive programs and tightening water protection regulations.

In the meantime, "It's not the technology that's holding it up," he says wryly. "Interest is definitely precipitating from the governmental and educational sectors. The market of 'early adopters' from the environmental community, and wealthier people who want to do the right thing is slowly turning towards the mass market, as more people find value and savings in reducing the long-term cost of home ownership."

Let it rain -- although at first glance it may look like some kind of "moonshining" activities going on, this large metal container is holding a harvest of rainwater. Collected from the rooftop, the water will be used to feed the homeowner's hungry landscape.

Save by being 'green'

Shawn waxes enthusiastic about the savings potential. "It's realistic to say that (by collecting rainwater) homeowners can realize savings of 60 percent of a home's total water usage, and that's an American Waterworks Association figure. In some locales, that's your total outdoor usage."

Irrigation and other outdoor uses, and even indoor uses such as laundry, and flushing toilets are all activities that can be sustained by using collected rainwater, once it has been treated to adequate (read: not necessarily to "drinking quality") standards.

In addition, Shawn sites two residences in Washington State where homeowners had "dry hydrants" attached to their rainwater collection systems, so that, in the case of emergency, firefighters could connect their fire hoses and tap directly into the water collection tank. In both cases this safeguarding feature earned the homeowners lower insurance premiums.

"We've also done a few projects in affluent remote neighborhoods in California, installing tanks so there is always an available water supply for fire protection," he adds.

Catch and collect -- rainwater channels and is filtered on its way to this residential storage tank. Dark colored and opaque tanks are used because they keep sunlight-loving algae from forming.

Rainwater systems don't have to cost a lot. According to Shawn, a primary consideration is to identify what the water would be used for so you can determine whether or not you need to collect all or just some of it.

The easiest way for a homeowner to gauge the potential amount of rainwater that could be collected off the roof is to estimate 600 gallons per inch of rain for every 1,000 square feet of roof area. Don't worry about figuring roof features such as pitches and dormers into your calculations Shawn says. Since rain falls perpendicular all you need to consider is your home’s footprint.

Obviously, he points out, "Rainwater is naturally superior for landscape use, as plants don't tend to respond well to the quantities of chlorine that are traveling in municipal water supplies."

Roll in the barrels...

Rain barrels, which cost $100 or less, are a simple and very inexpensive way to collect rainwater from a downspout for use in hand watering small gardens and container plants.

A complete system will filter and treat water, store it, pump or otherwise (gravity flow) distribute it through and from the system. Larger systems require much bigger tanks that are generally installed underground to address aesthetic and space concerns.

Shawn suggests one of the best ways to "get your toe wet" is to start by using rain barrels. "For $100 you can collect water off a few downspouts for your veggies or flower gardens, note your usage and look for other ways to use the water."

For approximately $600, he notes, you can purchase a "plug 'n' play" system that includes approximately 300 gallons of storage, a pump, and basic filtration system.

"As most landscape contractors will recognize, you can't do a lot with 300 gallons of water, but it's a start," Shawn says. "Or you can go to a larger system and increase your collection capacity. We recommend combining rainwater management systems with other practices, such as using native plants and xeriscaping.

"Rethinking efficient landscape design and irrigation systems can potentially reduce need for water 30 to 40 percent," he states. "Rainwater systems designed to meet 60 percent of demand could then potentially help meet 100 percent of your need.

"It's all about efficient, effective systems and strategies -- making thoughtful choices. Choosing one plant over another doesn't add cost to your landscape design, and although more efficient landscape irrigation and rainwater systems may increase initial costs in the short term, it is over the long haul that consumers will realize the greatest savings."

Costs vs. value -- and value

When estimating the cost of a rainwater collection system, Shawn says, figure that the biggest cost will be the storage containers and that above and below ground units run from around 55 cents to $2 a gallon, installed, which include the excavation costs necessary to accommodate the underground tanks. Resulting utility savings pay offs will depend on water demand, which is why commercial users, with economies of scale, see significant savings the earliest.

"It's possible for homeowners to save $500 to $1,000 dollars a year on your utility bills, and very likely, 30 to 40 percent utility savings is not unrealistic," Shawn states.

"The larger systems that run $3,000 to $4,000 are still cheaper than a plasma TV screen," he says, tongue firmly in cheek. He adds somewhat dryly, "Even geothermal systems that run around $8,000 are still less than some Jacuzzi hot tubs."

It's a question of values and value, he points out. Consumer spending habits indicate that many high-end homeowners might not blink twice about spending $10,000 for a custom-built front door. Since water is currently "cheap" for many, it is often undervalued for a limited resource.

"I see people spending $3,000 to $4,000 on washing machines that save them $150 a year on utility bills. Yet, if they spent the same amount on a rainwater system they could save $500 a year (real dollars), protect quality of life and sustain water resources for today's and future generations of children.

Rustic and ready, this wooden rainwater collection tank was built to provide homeowners of an upscale rural housing development with back up stores of water in the event of fire.

More 'all wet' ideas

Rain gardens are another attractive way to store site run off. These planted areas are created by excavating and amending the soil to create a depressed area with high porosity. Yard drainage is then able to run and slowly filter through.

"Rain gardens can be part of an infiltration and groundwater recharge system," Shawn explains. In developments it is becoming more popular...there's a commercial project in Atlanta where (storm) water filters through a rain garden and it's stored underneath, so you have drainage, water quality (through infiltration) and reuse benefits."

At the model Delta Smart House "home of the future" now under construction on campus at Duke University, Isaac is one of a "green" team of consultants working with students to develop sustainable design systems that will include rooftop rainwater collection, landscape irrigation and a constructed wetland (which might be described for the purpose of this article as a rain garden that stays wet).

The student project may also incorporate use of ultraviolet disinfection through the use of UV tubes with the goal of providing sufficient treatment to bring the collected rainwater to "drinking water" quality standards.

"How long will it be until rainwater harvesting is implemented on large scale depends on when (more) people start looking ahead," Isaac summarizes. "Ahead of doing this, they can choose plants that are drought-tolerant and use high-efficiency irrigation systems."

He directs researcher types and do-it-yourselfers to "The Texas Guide for Rainwater Harvesting," which he describes as "kind of the Bible on the topic." Initially developed to address the serious shortage of water that a lot of Texans face, the guide has been around for 20 years and is regularly updated.