Essential Rainwater Harvesting

**Design a rainwater harvesting system for any home in any climate.**

Water is a crucial resource increasingly under stress. Yet rainfall, even in arid climates, can make up a sizable portion of any home, acreage, or farm's water requirements if harvested and utilized with care. The key is appropriate planning and high-quality site- and climate-specific design.

Essential Rainwater Harvesting is a comprehensive manual for designing, building, and maintaining water harvesting systems for the warm and cold climates of the world. Presenting design considerations and approaches for the most common household rainwater supply scenarios - primary, supplemental, and off-grid supply - this step-by-step approach covers:

Considerations for full-property water security

Demand planning and conservation strategies

Supply calculations and design implications for extreme rainfall and drought

Materials selection and water quality

System and site assessment

Sizing and design of gutters, conveyance, tanks, and pumps

Pre-filtration, filtration, and disinfection options

System maintenance and upkeep

This practical resource provides DIYers, trades, and rainwater practitioners with the essential tools, methods, and technical know-how to design, build, and maintain rainwater harvesting systems anywhere.

**Rob Avis, P.Eng** and **Michelle Avis, P.Eng** own and operate Adaptive Habitat, a leading edge property design firm for resilient homes, acreages, and farms and Verge Permaculture, a globally recognized award-winning education business. They have over 20 years of combined experience in project management, ecological design, and sustainable technologies, which they share at vergepermaculture.ca from their suburban house and yard that they've transformed into a model of cold climate urban permaculture in Calgary, Alberta.