The logistical, environmental, and financial repercussions of increasingly extreme weather patterns can cause a cascade of unforeseen problems for your home or farm. Good thing rainwater harvesting has become a reliable way to ensure peace of mind while making the most of a free resource.
When you incorporate a rainwater harvesting system on your farm or property, it reduces your reliance on scheme water and results in an array of benefits.
Rainwater doesn’t cost a thing. Leveraging this free resource enables you to cut costs in multitudes of ways.
So, how much money can you save by adapting a rainwater harvesting system?
When you plumb rainwater from your water tank into your home, you can save up to 20% of average of your household water use.
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INTERESTING FACT |
Rainwater contains fewer salts, such as calcium and magnesium, because it doesn't run through sedimentary rocks in the earth like groundwater does. It doesn't contain chemicals like chlorine and fluoride, which is the case with mains water, so your plants and animals will love it.
And since municipal water supplies can be prone to contamination and may contain trace amounts of discarded prescription drugs, using fresh rainwater as much as possible ensures your own peace of mind.
Fresh rainwater is great for domestic uses: e.g. washing cars, windows, hair, and even dogs!
Rainwater is considered soft water. In line with the benefits outlined in the previous item, rainwater does not contain a lot of dissolved minerals, unlike hard water. This makes washing for domestic purposes easier as soft water helps soaps and detergents work better.
When properly maintained, your rainwater tank can be used for drinking and cooking purposes – even bathing.
Water storage through rainwater collection has a positive impact on the environment. In fact, it helps control storm-water runoff, which protects your land from erosion and reduces the threat of local flooding.
Another way rainwater tanks protect the environment is by reducing the demand for groundwater.
Groundwater is available in limited quantities, it’s only right that we all act to conserve it.
Harvesting rainwater also reduces the energy consumption by municipal water systems, which takes a lot of energy to run, what with the turbines and pumps needed for collection, storage, and delivery.
Collecting your own rainwater enables you to reduce energy consumption while reducing the amount you pay on water bills.
Corrugated water tank strategically placed on farm.
Strategically placed rainwater storage tanks help keep your farm schedules running smoothly under challenging environmental conditions.
By harvesting potentially damaging high-volume runoff from storms, you'll later be able to distribute this water in a controlled fashion to areas around your farm or property that need it the most.
When traditional dams, creeks, and soaks run dry due to drought or are contaminated with algal blooms, the water in them won’t be of much help. Rainwater harvesting, in other words, gives you a sense of security.
Installing a rainwater tank frees you from being stuck with just having one water source on your farm or property. It reduces your reliance on scheme water which allows you to put water on aspects around your farm that need it most.
And in cases of emergency, which is something you cannot predict, you will have a safe backup of water for whatever purpose you need it to serve.
Even on the smaller scale of your own farm or residence, the benefits made possible by rainwater harvesting is seen not only in the decrease of your water bills, but also in the time, effort, energy, and money that would otherwise be used on repair and recovery of the probable negative impacts of not having a rainwater collection system in place.
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Editor's Note: This post was originally published on December 1, 2017 and has been revamped and updated for the purpose of accuracy and comprehensiveness.