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Rain Harvest Help

Capturing rainwater to irrigate your landscape or for other uses is becoming extremely popular in southeastern Arizona. One of the biggest obstacles for homeowners and business owners interested in rainwater harvesting is a lack of information.

• How much water can I capture from my roof?
• What’s the difference between passive and active harvesting?
• How big should my cistern be?
• Can I take water from off the street?
• Where can I go to see examples of rainwater harvesting systems?
• Are there workshops for do-it-yourself types?
• What if I want someone to install a system for me?

This site attempts to answer those questions and others by providing basic information on rainwater harvesting, plus links and references to a variety of resources. These include demonstration sites, tours, workshops, web-based tools, pamphlets and books.

By early 2009, we will launch a web tool to give site-specific information on building a rainwater harvesting system. Users will input their address, amount and types of landscaping they want to irrigate with rainwater, and the amount and types of impervious surfaces (e.g., roofs, paved areas) from which they plan to harvest rain. The tool will estimate monthly plant needs and rainwater amounts, and calculate optimal storage capacity, based on your personal goals and constraints. To be notified when this service is available, click here.

RainHarvestHelp was developed by the SAHRA Center at the University of Arizona, with support from the Bureau of Reclamation and in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Biosphere 2.

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