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Passive harvesting relies entirely on gravity to direct flow to the point of use, without a containment system.

Active harvesting integrates a tank, cistern or pond to store water for later use.

Passive harvesting relies entirely on gravity to direct flow to the point of use, without a containment system.

What is harvesting rainwater? Simply put, it is the accumulation and/or storage of rainwater for use on-site, rather than allowing it to run on by.

Rainwater can be collected from any surface that receives rainfall. Harvested rainwater can then be delivered in two ways, passive or active.

Passive harvesting relies entirely on gravity to direct flow to the point of use, without a containment system. A good example of the passive method would be to direct runoff from the driveway, or the downspout from rain gutters directly into tree wells. Berms on the downhill side of your trees will collect additional water when it rains.

Active harvesting integrates a tank, cistern or pond to store water for later use. Stored water can then be delivered by gravity for simplicity or can be pressurized and filtered to accommodate automatic irrigation technology, such as a drip system or lawn sprinklers. Stored water can provide other benefits, such as a fish pond, or an independent water supply during water restrictions.

Active harvesting integrates a tank, cistern or pond to store water for later use.

It is amazing how just a little rain can add up to a lot of water when you start collecting it. For example, if you collect rainfall from a 1,000-square-foot roof, 0.25 inch of rain produces 155 gallons from that event. The same roof, with a 9 inch annual precipitation would have harvested 5,607 gallons.

To take our example another step, lets imagine we have three large mulberry trees, with an annual water requirement of 18 inches of precipitation. Each tree has a 20 foot drip zone, which equals 314 square feet. This makes the annual water requirement 3,523 gallons each. Nine inches of rain gives each drip zone 1,761 gallons, or half of what it needs. So the amount harvested from the same roof, when diverted, could easily produce enough water to keep those three large trees strong and healthy on rainwater alone, even with as little as 9 inches annual precipitation.

Any way you do it, harvesting rainwater is a win-win situation! You can save money while reducing the demand on wells and clean water delivery systems.

Best of all, rainwater is good for your plants as it contains none of the dissolved solids, which are present in most of our water sources.

For more detailed information you can contact your local Cooperative Extension office or search the University of Arizona Cooperative Extensions website, https://extension.arizona.edu/ , click on Publications, then type “Rainwater Harvesting” into the search box. Or go to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9yQoIdTyDWXuUt5yahS0LQ

Bill Cook is a Greenlee County Cooperative Extension agent. Contact him at (928) 359-2261 or at wrc@email.arizona.edu.

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