See also:
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Rainwater Collection Systems
Collecting rainwater for domestic water needs
has become an important part of the environmental
“green” movement. Collected rainwater is
also an important source of water for those
who live in areas where water use is limited
due to scarcity or where surface and below
ground water quality is poor. Even where
water is abundant, using rainwater can help
to significantly lower water bills. A system
that collects rainwater is easy and inexpensive
to install.
If you are thinking of collecting
rainwater,
consider the following:
- A typical system consists of a collection
area (usually a roof), a water conveyor (gutters
and downspouts), a filtering device, a storage
container or underground cistern, and a method
of water distribution (pump or dipper).
- Collected rainwater is most often used for
watering the garden and lawn as this eliminates
a lot of filtering and purifying that would
be required to ensure that the water is drinkable.
In fact, flowers, shrubs and trees really
prefer to be watered with rainwater rather
than tap water because of the chemical added
to processed water. However, collected rainwater
is not recommended for any plants that will
be eaten unless special care is taken to
insure that no contaminates such as asbestos
from roof shingles or lead are in the water.
- Other common uses for rainwater are toilet
flushing, clothes washing and
bathing. These
require a filter that will
screen out particulate
matter before the water reaches
the storage
container.
- A simple metal or plastic barrel will store
water for garden use. Larger
storage units
can be constructed from concrete
or fiberglass
and can be located either above
or below
ground. Underground storage
units should
be periodically tested to make
sure that
harmful contaminants are not
leaching into
them.
Collected rainwater that is to
be used for
cooking or drinking involves
a more
complicated
processof testing for microbes
and dangerous
contaminants. Care should be
taken to use
only materials that are certified
as safe
when constructing a drinking
water collection
system. These include special
filters, storage
tanks, pumping systems, and water
sterilizers
that are available from manufacturers
of
environmental technology.
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