Essential Rainwater Harvesting ― A Guide to Home-scale System Design

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.

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. As skilled Professional Engineers with over 20 years of combined experience in project management, ecological design, and sustainable technologies, they offer a depth of practical expertise in building science and appropriate technology (solar, wind, combined heat, and power), as well as agro-ecology, ecosystem engineering, soil regeneration, onsite wastewater treatment, and rainwater harvesting. In 2008, Rob and Michelle co-founded Verge Permaculture, now an internationally recognized award-winning regenerative education company, earning praise from permaculture leaders including Geoff Lawton, Toby Hemenway, and farming superstar Joel Salatin. They share information at vergepermaculture.ca from their suburban house and yard that they’ve transformed into a model of cold-climate urban permaculture in Calgary, Alberta.