Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 21.8
Rooftop gutters extended to direct water to a permeable channel for rainwater infiltration. (From Kinkade-
Levario, H., Forgotten Rain, Rediscovering Rainwater Harvesting , Granite Canyon Publications, Forsyth, MO, 2004.)
21.6 Conclusion
Meeting water shortages is a challenge, but challenges can be opportunities. Rainwater
harvesting and stormwater reuse structures and strategies are the opportunities presented
for any landowner and municipality to use in implementing a low-impact design and
development process. Implementation of these water-saving opportunities will reduce
the percentage of municipal water used for nonpotable purposes. In turn, harvesting
structures and strategies provide support for on-site vegetation which aid in reducing
temperature extremes, pollutants, and stormwater runoff. It has been shown that passive
rainwater harvesting can be incorporated into designs with little additional costs and that
the potential to create an active rainwater harvesting system can be implemented with
minor effort (Figure 21.8).
It is recommended that the long-term benefits of rainwater harvesting and stormwater
reuse opportunities be evaluated against the initial costs of alternatives to assure that
long-term benefits outweigh the short-term costs. Long-term maintenance and perfor-
mance targets should be set for a project to guarantee the elimination of contaminants
that may get into the groundwater or kill adjacent plants—and to guarantee continued
water-saving strategies. Survival in arid environments depends on the existence of water;
we need to capture it effectively when it rains as the opportunities for harvesting this
valuable resource can leave as quickly as it comes.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search