Rainwater Harvesting

Why is Rainwater Harvesting so important?

Water is a rapidly decreasing natural resource, and during peak water usage months the percentage of water used for irrigation purposes is as high as 50% of the total household water used. Why would we use perfectly good drinking water, to water our landscape, when in parts of the world, people don't have clean drinking water. Rainwater harvesting is not a new concept, it has been around for thousands of years, however the Alberta Government began to issue guidelines in 2011 regarding Rainwater Harvesting and it's use in irrigation, greywater, and potable water use. Here at Regency we understand the current demand for Rainwater Harvesting products is increasing and we are currently stock professional, quality systems that have a warranty of up to 15 years.

How much water can I yield?

An average 2000 sq/ft house will yield 1040 imperial gallons of water for every 1 inch of rainfall.
Based on Calgary's historical data we receive 12 inches of rainfall annually and 5 inches of snowfall.
Calgary's annual rainfall on a 2000 sq/ft house equals 12, 480 imperial gallons.
To put this into perspective that's almost 10,000 toilet flushes a year.
To calculate your available water, use this formula;

0.52 Gallons x the number of square feet of roof space = # of imperial gallons for 1" of rainfall

0.52 x 1200sq/ft = 624 Imperial Gallons ( based on 1" of rain or 25mm of rain )

What type of Rainwater Harvesting Systems are there?

The below ground tank system

This system utilizes all the downspouts running through filters or one larger filter and entering a buried tank. The tank then holds the water for use for irrigation. A pump is required to create the pressure to deliver to the sprinkler system. This system once it has been installed is only visible with the tank lid and you can landscape overtop of it. This type of system is great for acreages, residential properties, and small commercial properties.

The below ground rainwater harvest pit

This system uses a pit that is dug out, layered with protective pond felt and lined with pond liner. It is then filled 95% with plastic crates which are filled with holes. Depending on the brand, the size and storage capacity vary, but typically store around 30 gallons each. You then put in a pump vault for pump access. On top you can put a small water feature, or build a waterfall to finish in the pit. Another option is to completely cover the pit with liner and fabric and you can landscape right over top of it. Essentially you could have a patio right over top of your Rainwater Storage reservoir. This type of system is ideal for smaller storage size requirements or water features.

Above ground storage tanks

This is the most common type of rainwater harvesting systems. Most often seen is the small 45 or 50 gallon rain barrel. The problem with these are the small storage and the inability to easily remove the water. The gravity method often doesn't work well because in order to get any pressure the tank must be raised off the ground considerably. Remember that for every foot you increase you gain 0.43 lbs of pressure. Therefore if you raised your tank 10' off the ground you would have 4.3 psi. Which is not even enough to run drip irrigation. This type of system is best used for hand watering using a hose. Another problem these tanks have is how much room they take up. Once you put a few of these together along the side of the house all of a sudden there is no room to even walk by. Regency does offer both 50 gallon rain barrels, and larger above ground tanks. Our new Premier Slimline Tank, takes up less room than a couple of rain barrels, yet it stores about the same amount of water as 6-8 rain barrels.

Landscape Considerations for Rainwater Harvesting

When we are looking to collect water for harvesting we need every downspout to come to were our storage device is. This is important as it helps increase the yield after every rainfall. Don't use "Big O" drainage pipe or "weeping tile", but rather use PVC Drainage pipe. It allows us to get water to the storage device faster, and makes connections and fittings more convenient.

When designing the landscape it is important to think about plant water use. The plant material that uses the most amount of water is turf. Grass is a common part of today's landscape design, however if we can reduce the amount of grass in a yard we can conserve the amount of water we use. If we use drip irrigation to water plants and trees we can pinpoint where the water is being delivered and how it is being used. We are reducing the amount of water lost to evaporation, wind, and sprinkler system inefficiencies. Drip Irrigation is about 85% efficient compared to other sprinklers which are only be 60% to 80% efficient. Regency now carries a very good quality synthetic turf, it looks like a bent turf, and installs easily. With use of this product you have a turf area that requires no water and helps conserve water for other plant material.

Products available from Regency

We carry professional products that are built to last our climate. We now carry a series of Rainwater Harvesting products from GRAF. A German company that is leading the industry in rainwater harvesting products and winning European awards for product innovation. All of their products carry a 15 year warranty. We also carry quality tanks ideal for residential use, made in British Columbia which carry a 10 year warranty. Lastly we have brought in a series of Rainwater Harvesting filters from a company based out of Australia. We also carry a series of accessories which added to any rainwater harvesting system make the system less work for the homeowner and easier to manage.

Tanks

Filter Systems

Please contact Mike at our office regarding any questions you may have regarding rainwater harvesting. Regency Irrigation does not do any installations however we have preferred landscape contractors that we recommend due to their specialties in rainwater harvesting system installations.