40,000 Gallons of Free Water
Based on a home roof surface area of 2,000 square feet, an average St. Louis annual rainfall will yield in excess of 40,000 gallons of water. Capturing and re-using this water can be beneficial in many ways.
Of primary benefit is the superior quality of rain water over any other source – including tap water. In St. Louis we have some of the safest and least expensive drinking water in the world. However, the chemicals required to meet those safety standards actually reduce the "quality" of the water for plant growth. There have been reports of significant yield increases in vegetable and plant growth after conversion from tap water to rain water irrigation. Ever notice how green the grass looks and how vibrant the plants are after a single rainfall? We just can't duplicate that result, no matter how much tap water we use.
Other uses for rain water include patio / driveway wash down, car washing, outdoor cleaning, swimming pool re-fill, etc. Indoors, the current St. Louis County plumbing code allows rain water for use in toilet flush. Future code revisions will consider additional indoor uses. After all, in Australia where clean fresh water is very scarce, rain water is used for all needs, including laundry, bathing, cooking and drinking.
Storm water management is another benefit of rain water harvesting. By capturing rain water and then re-using it or slowly releasing it onto pervious surfaces, storm flow rates are diminished - reducing rutting, erosion and silting of our streams and rivers. There may even be a possible storm sewer rate reduction in the future for employing rain water harvesting practices.
Lawn irrigation presents another potential use for harvested rain water. Properties with a lot of turf grass require a lot of water. This can make it difficult to capture enough water for complete irrigation conversion. However, by changing the plant scheme to include a large amount of native plants, and reducing turf areas, water requirement is reduced, significantly increasing the viability of rain water irrigation. Replacing the components of an existing lawn sprinkler system with the more efficient timers and sprinklers now available can reduce water use by up to 50%.
Water-Tech Irrigation, Inc. has been a leader in the lawn irrigation industry for over 22 years. We provide only the highest quality and most efficient lawn sprinkler systems available. We are also the leader in designing residential rain water harvesting systems. We sell all our products over the counter or will install them for you. We can provide everything from simple rain barrels, filters, diverters, pipe and fittings, all the way up to complete systems capturing and holding thousands of gallons.
We are very excited about the prospects for the future of rain water harvesting. We would be delighted to assist you with your project, no matter how large or how small.
Please visit our website at www.Water-Tech.com or give us a call at 314.892.4424. Your Free Water is only a click or phone call away!