20,000 Gallon Rain Harvesting System Installed By Homeowner To Offset Drought
Monte Sereno,
CA – The California drought may appear to have softened
because of the last batch of rains, but Monte Sereno resident Jerry Block isn’t
having second thoughts at all about having one of the largest rain collection
systems in the Santa
Clara
Valley recently installed in his back yard.
You may wonder why he
installed this system when he’s only saving a few hundred dollars a year. Jerry
feels it’s all about being sustainable and preparing for the unknown.
“What if there is an
earthquake and what if the drought continues?” says Jerry, “At least I will have
water for my family and neighbors. Rainwater can also be used for fire
suppression, irrigation, washing your car and even for keeping your swimming
pool filled.“
On the surface, the news
that Sierra snowpack measurements show water content at 81 percent of normal
appears to be good news. But the Department of Water Resources (DWA) reports
that the economic impacts of the California drought -- now in its third year -- will be
devastating.
“Central Valley farm revenue loss is estimated to range between $325
million and $477 million,” according to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
California Drought Report. “Total income losses to those directly involved in
crop production and to those in business related to crop production is estimated
to range between $440 and $644 million.”
The result of the
sustained drought, according to the report, will be an estimated loss of 16,200
to 23,700 full-time equivalent jobs.
“The overall water
supply situation has not improved enough to make up for the two previous dry
years and low reservoir conditions,” says DWR Director Lester Snow. “Water
storage is about five million acre feet below average.”
Jerry is being
sustainable about his efforts with his newly installed rain harvesting system
because it saves the water agency electricity from not having to pump 20,000
gallons of water to his home anymore.
Collecting this much
rainwater significantly reduces stormwater runoff and erosion problems. That’s
20,000 gallons less rainwater that could get contaminated by the time it gets to
a stream or an underground aquifer. With the craze of the Victory
Gardens, as popularized by Michelle Obama, rainwater catchment
helps assure that water will be available for growing home gardens during hot
summer months.
There are many benefits
to a rain collection system that many times are overlooked, as described by John
Lewis of Rain Harvesting Systems.
“Most people don’t
really understand the sustainable reasons for having a rain harvesting system
installed,” comments John. “The return on investment may never come, but having
a rainwater supply is more than valuable, it’s
responsible.”
Fremont based company Rain Harvesting Systems installed four
5,000-gallon rainwater tanks to achieve the 20,000 gallon capacity. Gutterglove Gutterguard was used on the
roof gutters for filtering out all the leaves, pine needless and sand from the
four rain tanks.
Tim Pope, president of
the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), sees a growing
demand for information about collecing rainwater.
“Rain harvesting is
growing tremendously in the United States, especially in California,” said Pope. “California seems to wait for a catastrophe (drought) before it goes
after a cause like collecting rainwater.”
Pope recently led a
two-day rainwater harvesting workshop in San Francisco, where demand for education is particularly high. The
workshop prepares individuals and business owners for the ARCSA accredited
professional test for rain harvesting.
Advertisement
Rain Harvesting Systems
is hosting a special open house at the Block’s residence on Saturday May
23rd from 10am – 2pm. Attendees to the open house will need to RSVP
and will be able to do so through the home page of www.RainHarvestingSystems.com. More information
and the RSVP signup for the open house will be available on their website the
first week of May.
For more information on
the California drought you can visit the DWR at www.water.ca.gov/drought/. For more information on Rain Harvesting
Systems you can visit their website at www.RainHarvestingSystems.com. For more
information on ARCSA, you can visit www.arcsa.org.
May 1, 2009
20,000 Gallon Rain Harvesting System Installed By Homeowner To Offset Drought
Monte Sereno,
CA – The California drought may appear to have softened
because of the last batch of rains, but Monte Sereno resident Jerry Block isn’t
having second thoughts at all about having one of the largest rain collection
systems in the Santa
Clara
Valley recently installed in his back yard.
You may wonder why he
installed this system when he’s only saving a few hundred dollars a year. Jerry
feels it’s all about being sustainable and preparing for the unknown.
“What if there is an
earthquake and what if the drought continues?” says Jerry, “At least I will have
water for my family and neighbors. Rainwater can also be used for fire
suppression, irrigation, washing your car and even for keeping your swimming
pool filled.“
On the surface, the news
that Sierra snowpack measurements show water content at 81 percent of normal
appears to be good news. But the Department of Water Resources (DWA) reports
that the economic impacts of the California drought -- now in its third year -- will be
devastating.
“Central Valley farm revenue loss is estimated to range between $325
million and $477 million,” according to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
California Drought Report. “Total income losses to those directly involved in
crop production and to those in business related to crop production is estimated
to range between $440 and $644 million.”
The result of the
sustained drought, according to the report, will be an estimated loss of 16,200
to 23,700 full-time equivalent jobs.
“The overall water
supply situation has not improved enough to make up for the two previous dry
years and low reservoir conditions,” says DWR Director Lester Snow. “Water
storage is about five million acre feet below average.”
Jerry is being
sustainable about his efforts with his newly installed rain harvesting system
because it saves the water agency electricity from not having to pump 20,000
gallons of water to his home anymore.
Collecting this much
rainwater significantly reduces stormwater runoff and erosion problems. That’s
20,000 gallons less rainwater that could get contaminated by the time it gets to
a stream or an underground aquifer. With the craze of the Victory
Gardens, as popularized by Michelle Obama, rainwater catchment
helps assure that water will be available for growing home gardens during hot
summer months.
There are many benefits
to a rain collection system that many times are overlooked, as described by John
Lewis of Rain Harvesting Systems.
“Most people don’t
really understand the sustainable reasons for having a rain harvesting system
installed,” comments John. “The return on investment may never come, but having
a rainwater supply is more than valuable, it’s
responsible.”
Fremont based company Rain Harvesting Systems installed four
5,000-gallon rainwater tanks to achieve the 20,000 gallon capacity. Gutterglove Gutterguard was used on the
roof gutters for filtering out all the leaves, pine needless and sand from the
four rain tanks.
Tim Pope, president of
the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), sees a growing
demand for information about collecing rainwater.
“Rain harvesting is
growing tremendously in the United States, especially in California,” said Pope. “California seems to wait for a catastrophe (drought) before it goes
after a cause like collecting rainwater.”
Pope recently led a
two-day rainwater harvesting workshop in San Francisco, where demand for education is particularly high. The
workshop prepares individuals and business owners for the ARCSA accredited
professional test for rain harvesting.
Rain Harvesting Systems
is hosting a special open house at the Block’s residence on Saturday May
23rd from 10am – 2pm. Attendees to the open house will need to RSVP
and will be able to do so through the home page of www.RainHarvestingSystems.com. More information
and the RSVP signup for the open house will be available on their website the
first week of May.
For more information on
the California drought you can visit the DWR at www.water.ca.gov/drought/. For more information on Rain Harvesting
Systems you can visit their website at www.RainHarvestingSystems.com. For more
information on ARCSA, you can visit www.arcsa.org.