Current Projects
RAINWATER HARVESTING
DOWNLOADS |
Virginia Rainwater Harvesting Manual  |
| Download your copy of the Residential Rainwater Harvesting informational handout |
| Download your copy of Abate Stormwater Runoff with Rainwater Harvesting handout |
Rainwater in the News
Watch the following video from Charlottesville Tomorrow concerning rainwater harvestingEducational
Background information about rainwater harvesting:
While rainwater harvesting is a technique from years ago, improved materials and techniques for harvesting and storing the water and the growing water quality concerns are shedding new light on this sustainable practice. Rainwater is a free source of water that even when untreated can be utilized for many non-potable uses in and around a home or business.
Rainwater has not undergone the energy requiring process of cleaning and disinfection at the local treatment plant. Not only is this source of water cost effective for the owner, but it also reduces the burden on overloaded local water treatment plants. Collected rainwater can also be treated on-site to attain potable water quality, as per guidelines of the health department.
Rainwater harvesting utilizes systems as small as rain barrels connected to homeowners' downspouts for landscape irrigation to as large as expansive tanks for refilling swimming pools, fire abatement, laundry washing, flushing toilets and even consumption. A seemingly simple task of collecting rainwater and reusing it in the home or business and on the landscape can prevent considerable amounts of sediment and pollutants from entering local waterways as rooftop runoff is negated.
Above ground tank
Below ground tank
Rainwater Harvesting to Abate Non-point Source Pollution
The field of harvesting rainwater to combat non-point source pollution is a relatively untapped one. Typically, harvesting rooftop rainwater is seen as a way to provide water supplies for a home or business meanwhile, while the environmental impacts are often overlooked.
Non-point source pollution that results from stormwater runoff contains pesticides and fertilizers applied to the landscaped area, contaminants collected on the rooftop, oils from roads and driveways and eroded sediment. Upon the installation of rainwater harvesting systems at the downspouts of buildings, the water is contained and prevented from running over landscapes and impervious surfaces. Likewise, collected street runoff prevents car oil, sediment and other toxins from entering local water sources and are stored in tanks to be utilized for irrigation or fire abatement.
Rainwater Project
The Cabell Brand Center is working on a project to educate the Virginia population on how to combat nonpoint source pollution through rainwater harvesting. The Center received funding from the Virginia Environemntal Endowment to focus on rainwater harvesting techniques in Virginia as means to protect the state's sensitive ecosystem.
As always, the Cabell Brand Center is interested in supplying water to the 15,000 Virginias without indoor plumbing. Rainwater Harvesting offers a unique and sustainable way to supply these households with running water. Onsite treatment and distribution eliminates the need for drilling an expensive well or connecting to unavailable city water pipes.
Other states like Texas, New Mexico and Arizona all have developed rainwater harvesting guidelines for their states. We at the Cabell Brand Center will strive to offer citizens information concerning modern rainwater harvesting design with the most technologically advanced sysetms. Recent advancements in the rainwater harvesting industry allow for systems to be maintenance free and truly sustainable.
The goals of the project entail:
Product of the Cabell Brand Center 2007