Do you know that there is money to be made every time the rain falls? The use of rainwater can help you save money in many different ways. Rainwater is harvested for two main purposes. Harvested rainwater can be stored for use or it can be charged into the ground for withdrawal later. The process of charging harvested rainwater into the ground for withdrawal later is known as groundwater recharging.
It is possible to harvest rainwater from the following surfaces – rooftops, paved and unpaved areas such as landscapes, parks, roads and pavements, water bodies such as lakes and ponds, and storm water drains which are simple and cost effective. In areas where there are low rainfalls, it is advisable to use ground surfaces to harvest rainwater since that ground surfaces provide the largest catchment area.
As mentioned earlier, harvested rainwater can be used for two purposes. In order to decide if you should store rainwater or to charge it into the ground, you need to consider the rain fall patterns and the potential of a specific area to either store or recharge. In areas where rain falls throughout the year, people would normally choose to store rainwater in tanks because they know that by the time their tanks start to run out of water, there will be another rainfall to fill it back up. In areas where rainfall is limited, groundwater recharge is usually practiced. (more...)
