Rainwater Harvesting

No More Water Down The Drain

I live in the wettest part of Canada, jokingly called the “Wet Coast”. Even the Airport international aeronautical designation YVR stands for “Yes Very Rainy”. On average it rains in Vancouver around 165 days a year, November to March averages are between 90mm to 165mm. Yet, even with all that rain, every summer the entire Greater Vancouver District is imposed with watering restrictions.

926,500 square kilometers of rainwater catchment area and Vancouver runs short in the summer. All that water is allowed to run off into the rivers and inlets. If you have a garden or lawn, you need a Rainwater Harvesting System. Rainwater harvesting should be mandatory for everyone in Canada who has a garden or lawn. No eaves trough downspouts should be allowed to discharge water directly.

It's summer in the city. Approximately 40% of water used is used outdoors. Summer is when lawns and gardens require water the most. Natural rainwater is fresh, soft, oxygen-rich, pure and the best growth-promoting temperature – ideal for plants.

Any container that can hold water can be used as a water reservoir, they can be hidden or placed in low visibility areas, and extra containers can be added and linked together by a hose. It is really very simple and inexpensive. 10 sq metres of roof captures 10 litres of water for every 1 cm of rainfall. Allowing for variables such as evaporation, a typical roof should capture 350 litres in a typical summer shower. That is next weeks watering for a 100 sq metre garden (1000 Sq Ft at 1 inch per week)

Take Rainwater Harvesting One Step Further

Toilet flushing accounts for 40% of household water use. Conventional toilets use up to 30 litres of water per flush. If you haven't yet replaced your old toilet with a modern, low-flush or dual flush toilet that uses less water, do so this month. Harvested rainwater can be used to flush toilets. There are systems available which tap into the toilet water supply lines and greatly reduce the demand on the community water system. If your home is metered, you will save money.

Rainwater Harvesting should be mandatory for all new home construction. The cost for an average home can be less than $3,000.

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