The process of harvesting rainwater into water tanks or barrels has been around for centuries. Thanks to the technology of rainwater harvesting systems, harvesting rainwater is now easier than ever. With uses in domestic scenarios, agriculture, and industrial applications, harvesting rainwater has many advantages.
Harvesting rainwater has many advantages, no matter the application. Because water is such a commonly utilized natural resource, there are environmental, financial, and other practical benefits. Just how much can you benefit from harvesting rainwater? Read on to find out.
Environmental and Energy Advantages of Harvesting Rainwater
There are several advantages of harvesting rainwater that positively impact the environment. Firstly, harvesting rainwater tanks helps to conserve water further by storing it safely for emergency purposes. Collecting rainwater can also prevent problems in your yard from stormwater overflow and ground erosion if you live in an area that frequently experiences hard rainfall. In addition to this, rainwater also serves as a natural way to irrigate crops and hydrate livestock without relying on your local water company. On the opposite side of the coin, during droughts, using harvested rainwater is especially helpful in preventing fires.
Harvesting rainwater also promotes energy conservation. Because rainwater harvesting is a reasonably straightforward process that doesn’t require much energy, using rainwater in your home, business, or other facility conserves more water needed to be pumped to you. This helps cut down costs on your end as well as your water company’s end.
Financial Advantages Brought by Harvesting Rainwater
The most obvious financial advantage of harvesting rainwater is that rainwater is free to collect because it is a natural resource. Strategically taking advantage of natural resources eliminates the need to buy water for crop irrigation or drinking. It also reduces water bills because you no longer have to pay for as much water as usual from your city’s water company to wash laundry or bathe. This can make a huge difference for tenants who cannot afford to pay a monthly water bill to get clean water for drinking or cooking in low-income areas.
Once a rainwater collection system is in place, rainwater harvesting can decrease the need for water in your community or at your job’s location. Rainwater harvesting systems are also pretty easy and inexpensive to maintain, so you can update your system to accommodate your rainwater harvesting needs better if they change. Rainwater harvesting also works in decreasing the demand for municipal water once a harvesting system is installed.
Practical Advantages of Harvesting Rainwater
Harvesting rainwater is easy, and setting up a rainwater harvesting system doesn’t take too much difficulty. Because of this, you can take advantage of the practical benefits of harvesting rainwater for your home with ease.
While rainwater is not always filtered, you can use potable rainwater for in-home applications such as water consumption and domestic uses like cleaning and cooking with a filtration system in place. Rainwater is also effective as an outdoor cleaner to get rid of debris from storms or clean your vehicle using a hose or pressure washer.
Harvested rainwater is also excellent to use outside for irrigation. Unfiltered potable rainwater can be safe for taking care of flowers and performing general lawn care and a variety of other applications where it is not consumed. Farmland highly benefits from harvested rainwater as the collected amount covers more extensive operations with ease, giving life to more dying plants in the heat.
In industrial applications, you don’t have to rely on treated water from your municipal water company. Instead, you can use harvested rainwater if you don’t require filtered water to carry out industrial tasks.
Find Solutions Through Harvesting Rainwater
If you think harvesting rainwater solves a multitude of water problems across a variety of applications, you’re right. While other water conservation methods can still be effective, a water tank and rainwater harvesting system opens you up to the many advantages of harvesting rainwater. With financial, environmental, energy, conservational, and practical benefits for collecting rainwater, it’s a wise option that promotes efficiency when accessing potable water.
About the author:
Steve writes extensively on rainwater harvesting related topics. This article is written by him for National Storage Tank Inc, provider of water storage tank solutions nationwide
