A water catchment system (aka, surface-water containment system, rain-harvesting storage system, runoff catchment system) is an attractive alternative where groundwater is contaminated, wells can't be dug, springs can't be found, or where rainwater is low. These types of systems have been in use for thousands of years in countries with poor groundwater resources. Even in the desert, a short rain can deliver enough water to keep the household going until the next storm.
The most common form of storm harvesting is a simple rain barrel, fed by the downspout of the rain gutters or eaves of the building. There's a huge inventory of commercial rain barrels to choose from, some with their own roof-cleaner diverters (they divert the roof water until the roof has been rinsed off). By the way, metal or clay-tile roofs seem to be cleaner than shingled roofs. If you have a shingled roof, you'll want a roof-cleaner diverter and perhaps a pre-filter in the system before the water enters the storage device.
The water from a barrel is not pressurized, but can be used to water a garden via a hose from the barrel drain. Elevating the barrel (commonly on cinder blocks) a bit increases the pressure, but |
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