Wednesday, August 12, 2009

GREEN LIVING: The 5 Questions I Hear Every Day About Rainwater Harvesting

By Jeremy Delost

Rainwater harvesting is my full-time profession. On average, I meet face-to-face with about 5 new people every week who are seriously thinking about building a rainwater collection system.

There are five main questions that I hear nearly every day regarding rainwater harvesting, some of which you may be thinking right now. Let's get right to them.

1. How much does a rainwater collection system cost?

We all know that the cost of water varies greatly, usually with some relationship to the quality of water being purchased. For instance, while your monthly water bill may cost you $50 for 3,000 gallons of usage, two cases of high-end drinking water would cost you about the same amount. On the spectrum of water purity, with contaminated groundwater on the far left end and pristine untapped aquifers on the far right end, rainwater is very close to, if not the best source of water available to the general public.

If you compare the real cost per gallon of various water sources, including the initial up-front investment to build a rainwater system, the cost to collect rainwater is at the low end of the spectrum over the long term and is considered the least energy-intensive way to provide water to users.

You wanted the numbers though, right? Here they are. A well-designed and professionally installed rainwater system is an investment of around $5,000 for a complete system that provides water for gardening and outdoor use, $10,000 for a larger automated system that automatically collects, filters, stores and delivers water for multiple uses, and $15,000+ for a complete independent water source that is large enough to have a constant reserve of water, even during extended droughts. The cost for commercial systems can vary significantly, but often cost around $1.50 per installed gallon.

2. Can I drink rainwater?

Yes, rainwater can absolutely be made safe to drink with a combination of essential components like a roof washer, ozone treatment, sediment and carbon filters and UV sterilization. Is rainwater 100% pure and ready to consume as it falls from the sky? No, I do not ever recommend that. Is rainwater a reliably high-quality water that can meet all of your water needs? Yes.

3. How much space will it take up?

For many of us, it is difficult to visualize the physical space that the water we use occupies. For instance, do you know how much water would fit inside a 10' x 10' room with a 10' ceiling?

A. 500 gallons

B. 3,500 gallons

C. 7,500 gallons

D. 10,000 gallons

Very simply: 10' x 10' x 10' = 1,000 cubic feet. In US Gallons, that is equivalent to 7,470 gallons. So now we know about how much water would fit in your dining room. Which begs the question: How long would it take one person to consume that much water? As a very rough estimate, the average American consumes 50 gallons of water per day.

7,470 gallons / 50 gallons per day = ~150 days or 5 months of water! In your dining room!

4. Won't the tank breed mosquitoes?

A well-designed rainwater system will be free of mosquitoes. Fortunately the days of poorly designed and constructed rainwater systems are coming to an end. A competent rainwater installation company is certified by ARCSA (the national rainwater organization), offers a warranty on their entire system, and can design a system that meets local codes and industry standards, which always include adequate barriers to vectors like mosquitoes and vermin.

5. How long will it take to return my investment?

Let's say you have a complete independent rainwater system the provides all of your water needs for home and garden. If your roof area is 2,000 square feet and you have 10,000 gallons of storage, this system may cost around $15,000. If your average rainfall is 40 inches per year, then your system can potentially collect around 50,000 gallons of water per year.

To allow us to calculate the pay-off duration, let's value your rainwater at 5 cents per gallon - which is far, far less than the cost of other purified water of similar quality, but let's be conservative. By this method, 50,000 gallons of water at $0.05 per gallon is $2,500 per year. So, this particular system would take approximately 6 years to pay off. From that point forward, your rainwater system will be collecting water for free. Of course there are maintenance costs, but typically those run less than $200 per year for filter and UV lamp replacements.

So, now we can finally answer the question: If collecting rainwater pays for itself, why isn't everyone doing it? The truth is, it is only a matter of time before you will begin to see rainwater collection systems as a common element of both the urban and rural landscape. I believe the concept simply makes too much sense to not take advantage of. Cleaner water. Sustainable supply. Short-term return on investment. What's not to love about rainwater harvesting?

As you read more and more about rainwater harvesting, you may be inspired to start a rainwater project of your own.

But before you do, can you answer These 3 Questions about your water supply?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_Delost
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-5-Questions-I-Hear-Every-Day-About-Rainwater-Harvesting&id=2610071

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