If you’re committed to caring for the environment, Rain Harvesting makes perfect sense.
When done right, Rain Harvesting not only gives you a sustainable, renewable water source – it also helps to lower your ecological footprint.
It does this by reducing the negative effects of stormwater runoff, limiting the environmental impacts associated with water infrastructure and reducing groundwater depletion.
Stormwater runoff
In many built-up areas, rainwater is no longer absorbed by vegetation and soil before being slowly discharged into creeks. Instead, the falling rain is directed into stormwater pipes before it’s rapidly channelled into nearby waterways. The sheer volume of this stormwater erodes creeks, deposits sediments and pollutes or destroys water habitats and organisms.
Rain Harvesting is an effective way to limit the environmental damage caused by stormwater runoff. By collecting the vast majority of the water that lands on your roof, rain harvesting keeps this water out of stormwater and thus out of our waterways.
Water infrastructure
Water infrastructure can have a significant impact on the environment. For water deliveries, the usual environmental costs associated with trucks and greenhouse emissions apply, while for mains water, the cost to the environment can be measured in terms of the pollution generated by the infrastructure’s manufacture, installation and ongoing energy needs.
In contrast, well-designed Rain Harvesting systems eliminate the need for ongoing water deliveries and are much more contained than mains water infrastructure. As such, they significantly reduce the ecological impact of supplying rainwater for your home or property.
Groundwater depletion
Across the planet, groundwater supplies are dwindling as water is taken from these underground reserves and from the waterways that feed them. Not only is this practice unsustainable, it’s also damaging to the environment.
Rain Harvesting is an important solution to the challenge of groundwater depletion. It offers an alternative – and renewable – water source that takes the pressure off groundwater supplies. In some places, it’s even used to “refill” groundwater reserves.