Rainwater Harvesting

According to the EPA, rainwater harvesting has significant potential to provide environmental and economic benefits by reducing stormwater runoff and conserving potable water. Resources available in this sub-theme include training materials on rainwater roof catchments and guidance on how to design ground level storage tanks, among other resources that support the practice of rainwater harvesting.

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Rainwater Harvesting Resources

Rainwater Harvesting in the Southwestern United States: a Policy Review of the Four Corners States

Published: 
May 6, 2010
The National Institutes for Water Resources
With the passage of the nation's first municipal rainwater harvesting ordinance for commercial projects, Tucson placed itself at the forefront of the national rainwater harvesting movement. The ordinance calls for 50 percent of water used for landscaping on new commercial properties to come...Read more
Regional focus: 
United StatesNorth America

City of Tucson Development Standard No. 10-03.0 Commercial Water Harvesting

Published: 
April 27, 2009
The National Institutes for Water Resources
Harvesting rainwater is a useful strategy for providing supplemental irrigation water to commercial landscapes, making more efficient use of the desert's most limited resource--water. The City of Tucson Mayor and Council adopted the Commercial Rainwater Harvesting Ordinance on October 14, 2008...Read more
Regional focus: 
United StatesNorth America

Managing Wet Weather With Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook: Rainwater Harvesting Policies

Published: 
December 1, 2008
The National Institutes for Water Resources
Rainwater harvesting, collecting rainwater from impervious surfaces and storing it for later use, is a technique that has been used for millennia. It has not been widely employed in industrialized societies that rely primarily on centralized water distribution systems, but with limited water...Read more
Regional focus: 
United StatesNorth America

The State of Rainwater Harvesting in the U.S.

Published: 
October 1, 2008
The National Institutes for Water Resources
Harvesting rainwater offers many advantages: It conserves municipal and well water; it is free; gravity fed systems conserve energy; it is low in salts and good for plants; and it can reduce flooding and erosion. Rainwater provides an excellent primary, supplementary, or alternative source of water...Read more
Regional focus: 
United StatesNorth America

Urban Waterways Rainwater Harvesting: Guidance for Homeowners

Published: 
June 1, 2008
The National Institutes for Water Resources
Although rainwater harvesting has been practiced for thousands of years, recent concerns over water supplies and the environment have prompted many homeowners to consider using rainwater harvesting systems. While advanced systems are available from consultants and vendors, a homeowner can construct...Read more
Regional focus: 
United StatesNorth America

Training Workshop on Rainwater Roof Catchment, San Julian, Bolivia

Published: 
January 1, 1986
U.S. Agency for International Development
USAID/Bolivia asked WASH to assist them in conducting a workshop on rainwater catchment. Chapters 1 and 2 of this report describe the background to the workshop and the pre-workshop arrangements. Chapter 3 discusses the progress of the workshop in San Julian, and Chapter 4 contains a general...Read more
Regional focus: 
BoliviaLatin America and the Caribbean

Preliminary Planning for Rural Water Supply Alternatives in Zaire

Published: 
June 1, 1983
U.S. Agency for International Development
WASH involvement with rural water projects in Zaire began when Dr. Isely of the WASH Project developed recommendations for increased spring capping and rain water catchment activities. Three consultancies have resulted to address the needs of USAID, SANRU-86, and Peace Corps/Zaire: training was the...Read more
Regional focus: 
Congo, Dem. Rep.Sub-Saharan Africa

Dependable Precipitation and Potential Yields for Senegal: a Practical Guide for Rain fed Agriculture

Published: 
May 1, 1982
U.S. Agency for International Development
A substantial potential exists for improving rain fed agriculture in Senegal. Thus concludes this study, which analyzes the relationships among precipitation levels, growing season lengths, and potential agricultural yield in that country. The study begins by determining monthly dependable...Read more
Regional focus: 
SenegalSub-Saharan Africa

Bamboo-Reinforced Concrete Rainwater Collection Tanks

Published: 
January 1, 1982
U.S. Agency for International Development
The Community-Based Appropriate Technology and Development Services (CBATDS) program has registered significant successes in the introduction and wider dissemination of technologies to provide potable water to villages in semi-arid drought-prone Northeaster Thailand. The year pilot project...Read more
Regional focus: 
ThailandEast Asia and Pacific

Construction and Use of a Physical Model of the Rainfall-Runoff Process

Published: 
June 1, 1966
U.S. Agency for International Development
This technical note describes the design, construction, and initial use of a complete physical model of the rainfall-surface runoff process. The complete physical model consists basically of a rainfall generator, scaled model, and a weighing device for recording the model runoff. The rainfall...Read more

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