Information about rain barrels, rain gardening, stormwater management, etc http://www.clemson.edu/public/carolinac

lear/cc_toolbox/tools_pubs.html#pubs_rb

http://www.raincollectionsupplies.com/

http://www.rainbarrelsource.com/http://www.rainharvest.com/shop/def

ault.asp

Free source of water Graywater

Supplement limited ground water Low in minerals

Laundry, dishwashing, hair washing, and car No chlorine

Garden ponds Not regulated by municipal water

restrictions Periods of drought

On average, Americans use 70 gallons per person per day Toilets, showers, clothes washers, sinks,

and other appliances For each person, that’s about 500

square feet of roof + 1000 gallons of storage to meet these needs

Today, 1.1 billion humans lack access to freshwater and 2.6 billion are without adequate sanitation.

By 2025 the developing world's demand for water will have increased by 50 percent

Rodney Glass: “Man historically has treated stormwater and rainwater as a waste product.” 

Tucson’s water demand is 147,000 acre feet/year while Tucson receives 185,000 acre feet/year of rainwater.  It costs less money to harvest rainwater than to try to get rid of it compared to $300/acre foot to desalinate water. Desalinizing sea water costs upwards of $1,000/acre foot and has to be brought in from the coast. 

On October 14, 2008, the Tucson City Council adopted a Commercial Rainwater Harvesting Ordinance which applies to new commercial construction. Facilities subject to the ordinance must meet 50% of their landscape demand using harvested rainwater, prepare a site water harvesting plan and water budget, meter outdoor water use, and use irrigation controls that respond to soil moisture conditions at the site. 

Rainwater harvesting systems have 4 major subsystems: Capture, Conveyance, Holding, and Distribution (non-irrigation systems will include Filtration and Purification

Roof of the house Keep debris out of the

water system Screens on gutters or

downspouts

Footprint of the building

Maximum Rainfall RateBased on 100 year data

Charleston, SC4.1” per hour0.043” per square foot

Annual rainfallCharleston, SC 51.4”

about .6 gallons per sq foot for 1” of rain 600 gallons per 1000 sq foot for 1”

rainfall

Rain Chains

Getting the water from the roof to the tank

Landscape piping moves water from the downspouts to the tank. Gravity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssDIkR6mN-0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHFXohrysf8

Each turn increases friction and reduces flow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtWlSVh2vTc

Bird feces, Plant debris, soil, eroded roof materials, and other solids

Debris eater

Wet versus Dry

Dry

Dry lineDrain after rain

Drain For Wet System

Wet lineRetain water in lineRequire clean out

Friction between the water and the pipe impede flow

First flush

First flush diverter

Discards the initial runoff from a roof before it reaches the storage tank

Ball or flapper shuts off the top of the pipe

Additional rainfall flows into tank

Small-diameter outlet slowly releases “first-flush” water to empty for next rain

Roof with minimal pollution Capture 12.5 gallons / 1,000 square of

roofHeavily polluted roof

Capture 50 gallons / 1,000 square feet of roof

POT FILTER captures rainwater from a single downspout

Normally buried and flush with the ground

The gravel strains out coarse debris

Filter mat smaller particles

BASKET FILTER utilizes screen basket

Water flows in through a top port, through the basket, and out bottom port

A second port is provided at the top to allow overflow should the filter basket become full

CASCADE FILTERS do not collect debris, but rather allow it to wash through the filter

Minimize maintenance Lower water recovery

rates Rainwater cascades

over a curved, multi-level screened filter

Filtered water exits through bottom port; debris is washed down the surface of the filter

Graf Quattro Twist Downspout Filter and Diverter

VORTEX FILTERS are similar to cascade filter

Rainwater flows through the top port, spins around the circumference of the filter body, and spills into the top of the filter element.

Capillary effect draws water through the side walls of the filter exits through the upper side port

Debris washes down exits through the lower bottom port

Reduced capture efficiency, typically 85% to 90%

Tanks Storage System

SURFACE STORAGE

Free-standing plastic tanks offer the least expensive means of rainwater

Menard Multi-Purpose Building 30,000 Gallons

Rain barrels

Mosquito screen

Gravity 0.433 psi per foot

Boerne Texas Champion High School gathers over 4.5 million gallons of water from parking lot run-off, roof gutters and air-conditioner condensation. - water is stored in elevated tanks and underground storm drains.

UNDERGROUND STORAGE

Unaffected by freezing weather, and can last indefinitely.

Cool, dark environment less chance for MO activity

3x as expensive as surface storage

Robert Redford BuildingSanta Monica, California

RainCavern An underground

chamber of plastic modules wrapped in a waterproof membrane

Virtually limitless storage in various shapes

Withstands vehicular traffic

Collapsible tank

Pump or gravity fed

FLOATING EXTRACTOR

Cleanest water in the tank is generally a few inches below the surface.

Intake suspended from a float

Rises and falls with the tank water level

Inlet (calming effect)Outlet at bottomOverflow Inspection PortVent

Calming InletScreen basket at inspection portOverflow lower than inlet

Pre-filtered rainwater can be used for landscape irrigation, garden ponds, and most exterior applications.

Toilet flushing and clothes washing, a sediment filter will remove suspended solids which can cause discoloration and odors

For showering, hand washing, or drinking, use a high-intensity ultraviolet sterilizer to kill microorganisms that could cause illness

Connect in series

Isolation valves

Same size as inflowLid

http://www.finewaters.com/Bottled_Water/USA/Oregon_Rain.asp

http://www.natsys-inc.com/