Rainwater Harvesting Seminar - Homepage | RDNWater Day 2016 1 The Rainwater Network Rainwater Harvesting Seminar The Rainwater Network Hosted by: Jamie Wallace CANARM Board of Directors

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www.arcsa.org The Rainwater Network www.canarm.org

Rainwater Harvesting

Seminar


Hosted by: Jamie Wallace

CANARM Board of Directors Owner

Raindrop Harvesting Certified ‘CANARM’

Professional ARCSA Accredited

Professional(AP)


MISSION STATEMENT

To bring awareness, educate, and conduct research in best practices for

rainwater and stormwater management across Canada.

CANARM began as a member-driven Canadian

organization that raises awareness of rainwater

and stormwater management.

We do this by providing education and conducting

research on best practices for the safe collection,

storage, and

use of rainwater in communities across Canada.


http://www.canarm.org/




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Drops of Wisdom


There is over 10

TRILLION

Gallons of

rainwater above

the skies of the

planet at any

given time. If all

the rain fell at

once. It would

cover the earth in

one inch of water.

Source:

National Geographic

Nature’s WATER

CYCLE

Urban (Built Environment)

WATER CYCLE*

* ”Stormwater Planning”, 2002

FROM TAP…..

…TO STORM and SEWER

DRAINS

…TO DRAIN

FROM ROOF....

EVAPORATION

TRANSPIRATION

PRECIPITATION

INFILTRATION,

RUNOFF,

MOVEMENT

HUMANS/PLANTS/ANIMALS…

CONDENSATION

What is Rainwater? Compare

with:

Stormwater

Grey Water

Potable Water

Ground Water

Surface Water


What is Rainwater Harvesting? 1) Roof-based

2) Land-based

A “System” of:

Catchment

Conveyance

Storage

Pump(s)

Overflow

Collecting and Using Rainwater at Home - CMHC





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Provincially and internationally permitted

rainwater uses


Types of Rainwater Harvesting

Systems


Types of Rainwater Harvesting

Systems


Eavestrough's and

Downspouts


Tank Material

Concrete

Plastic

Fiberglass

Economic Decision /

Strength

NSF/ANSI Standard 61

(2008)


Other Tank Varieties

Bladder Tank Slim “fence

style” tank








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Pre-Storage Treatment: First

Flush


Pre-Storage Treatment

Gutter Guards

Debris Filters


Pre-Storage Treatment: Filtration



First Flush device



First Flush device


Source: GRAF Source: Rainwater Management Solutions Source: Rainwater Management Solutions

Pre-Storage Treatment: Vortex Filters







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Pre-Storage Treatment: Filtration; Calming Inlet

Graf below ground filters



Inlet Filter

Using gravity to fill storage

tanks and cisterns is simple

and less expensive that pump

and pressure line components.

Downspout and pipe joints must

be tightly sealed against leaks

and insect/vermin entry.

A good filter (400 microns or

finer) will keep the water clean

and prevent buildup of sludge

on the bottom. Additional

filtering for irrigation may be

necessary,

A thin ‘slimy’ layer is called

‘biofilm’, and can often be

beneficial to the quality of the

stored water.

Biofilm

(inside, walls

and bottom)








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Pre-Storage Treatment: Air gap


Central Saanich Fire Station

LEED Silver design, 5 Tanks plus rain gardens

and bioswales, for part of the roof structure.

Land-based catchment is directed to the rain

gardens and bioswale system, for infiltration as

ground water

Architect: Johnston Davidson Architecture and Planning, Vancouver, BC

Landscape Architecture: Greenway Landscape Architecture, Coquitlam, BC

RWH System supplier: BARR Plastics, Abbotsford


Tradex: Fraser Valley Trade &

Exhibition Centre, Abbotsford, BC

Metal roof capture from 4,460 sq m (48,000 sq ft) in

two

36,370 L (8,000 gal) tanks (one shown)

Used for toilet and urinal flushing, by-pass is

municipal water

Designer Tanks

and

Cisterns





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4,000 US Gallon Storage

Lantzville 9,000 US Gallon Storage

Denman Island

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Spider Lake


Nanoose Bay

Permaculture and

Rainwater

Harvesting How

these two can work

together to improve

a sites resilience

Permaculture What is Permaculture?

• Permaculture is an ethics based design system developed in Australia

in the late 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgrem.

• The word Permaculture originally made reference to permanent

agriculture, then was expanded to include permanent culture.

• Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against

nature. Looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than

treating any area as a single product system.

Loess Plateau, China

Large scale permaculture projects

Strategy: •They used nitrogen-fixing cover-crops to regenerate nitrogen in the soil, and further reduce erosion.

•Improve vegetation cover and sediment control, felling of trees was prohibited.

•A decade later, responsible farming on a local scale has lifted an estimated 2.5 million people out of poverty, making the Loess Plateau Project one of the largest success stories for sustainable farming

Mark Shepard of New

Forest Farm, Wisconsin

Farm scale permaculture projects

Strategy: •Conversion of old, depleted corn field and turn into a Savanna based polyculture.

•Build soil, planting layout is based on keyline geometry.

•Thirty years later New Forest Farm has developed into a rich, diverse farm which has numerous revenue streams including, nuts, fruits, annual vegetables, perennials vegetables, pork and beef. •Mark Shepard authored the book Restoration Agriculture

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Urban scale permaculture projects

Image source: Earth flow designs, Permaculture

magazine

Urban scale permaculture projects

Image source: Hatchet & Seed

What can Permaculture offer us in a

changing climate. How can we built in

some resilience to our landscapes?

Permaculture techniques to save

water

• Mulch: Using natural materials such as straw, leaves, twigs, small branches and paper products as

mulch helps hold in moisture and therefore conserves water. As the mulch decomposes it becomes an

excellent source of food for the bacteria and organisms living in the soil, enhancing the soil quality.


water

• Deep Root Plants and Trees: Plants and trees with deep roots have the ability to store water and not

only survive periods of drought, but also provide water to plants that are grown around them.

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water

• Swales: Swales are ditches with flat bottoms that

collect water. They are usually dug out on the

outer contours of a particular landscape for the

purpose of holding and sinking the water. This

helps hydrate the soil.

Water-slow it,

sink it •Small swales like this can collect a

substantial amount of water. This

example will collect up to 40,000

litres per year.


water

• Hugelkultur: Translates

loosely in German to ‘mound

culture’. Hugelkultur is

designed by digging out a large

hole, laying down logs and

other wooded and natural

debris and then covering it with

soil which plants and trees can

then be harvested on. As the

logs decompose they provide

nutrients to the organisms

living in the soil, as well as act

as a sponge, soaking up water

during rainfall and releasing it

into the soil as needed;

therefore Hugelkultur does not

need watering, even in dry

climates and during droughts.

Steps:

-Excavate trench

-Large logs first

-Add brush

-Manure/Compost

and topsoil

Hugelkultur nursery bed


water

• Drip Irrigation: Is a watering

system that allows water to

drip slowly out onto the soil,

therefore minimizing water

runoff, soil erosion and

evaporation of surface water.

These systems can be as

complex as having many hoses,

filters and pressure regulators,

or as simple as having home

made bucket system, using

gravity to drop the water onto

the crops.


water

• Rainwater Harvesting: Is a

method of retaining water

whereby large barrels or tanks

are used to collect water as it

falls and runs off rooftops. This

water can then be used to water

one’s garden or filtered and

used for indoor use.

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water

• Grey Water System:

Greywater is previously used

water from sinks, bathtubs, and

washers, for example, which

can be collected for reuse. This

is a water retention method that

prevents water from being used

only once, permitting it to be

filtered and recycled in home,

for reuse.


water • Compost Tea: Aerated

compost tea is derived from

placing high quality compost

into a water container which is

aerated and fed for 24-48

hours. The resulting liquid is

spread onto the soil to enhance

soil biology which in turn

increases soil health and water

holding capacity.

Some resources:

•Permaculture Research Institute-

www.permaculturenews.org/

•Permaculture BC-www.permaculturebc.com

•Eco-Sense Living-

www.ecosenseliving.wordpress.com/

•Hatchet & Seed-www.hatchetseed.ca

•Mid Vancouver Island Permaculture on Facebook

•CANARM-www.canarm.org

•ARCSA-www.arcsa.org

Documents

Rainwater Harvesting Seminar - Homepage | RDNWater Day 2016 1 The Rainwater Network Rainwater Harvesting Seminar The Rainwater Network Hosted by: Jamie Wallace CANARM Board of Directors