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Water conservation and management is becoming a worldwide survival issue due to:

  • Accelerating water shortages;
  • Uncontrolled development and population growth;
  • Aging infrastructures;
  • Growing agricultural demands;
  • A general warming trend;
  • The ever-increasing cost of, and demand for natural water resources

 

 

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FAQs > Rainwater Harvesting > What makes a good rainwater management system?

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Rainwater Harvesting

By: Mark Brown – President, Rain Catchers, LLC.
In this relatively new industry of rainwater harvesting I find myself constantly bombarded with questions from people trying to understand exactly what rainwater harvesting is, how it works, and why they should spend the money to do it. As time passes there are several questions that seem to be recurring, so I would like to take this opportunity to answer these questions and explain what rainwater harvesting is all about.

Rainwater harvesting is a viable solution to help solve our water crisis and storm water runoff problems here in Atlanta. A big part of my job is to continually educate people on the benefits of rainwater harvesting and the proper methods of installing the systems. We should all remember every rain drop is important to us, therefore we should be stewards of each drop.

If looking for a system you should be careful to find a qualified installer using quality components. While the cistern is an integral part of the system and should be of quality construction, it is equally important that the filtration system and system for removing the water be from a proven manufacturer. A properly designed system consists of fine filtration before the water enters the tank. This will foster the formation of a natural biofilm in the bottom of the tank that will oxygenate the water and eliminate growth of bacteria. The tank should never be completely emptied or cleaned as this would kill the biofilm. If not properly filtered, debris in the water will decompose, sucking precious oxygen from the water, which quickly causes stagnation and degradation of the water quality. When removing the water from the tank it should always be pulled through a floating suction filter positioned just below the surface of the water. This prevents disturbance of the natural biofilm on the bottom of the tank, and eliminates the opportunity of pulling any pollens that may be floating on the top. It is also important that any above ground cisterns be dark in color so that no light can get into the tank. This prevents the growth of algae. If a system is installed with quality components by a professional installer the water quality will be good and the maintenance required will be minimal.

Last updated on June 27, 2009 by Rain Catchers