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.

Rainwater Harvesting Resources

Quick Resource: Active Water Harvesting

Publication date:
December 1, 2013
The National Institutes for Water Resources
This Active water Harvesting article explains the differences between passive and active water harvesting.Read more
Regional/Country focus:
United States
North America

Quick Resource: Stormwater Quantity

Publication date:
December 1, 2013
The National Institutes for Water Resources
Rainwater harvesting can help ameliorate the effects of development on natural hydrology. In fact, a major goal of low impact development (LID) is to mimic a site's natural hydrology as much as possible. LID practices can even restore a watershed's hydrological functions. Water harvesting...Read more
Regional/Country focus:
United States
North America

The Cochise Water Project: Pueblo Del Sol Country Club

Publication date:
January 1, 2013
The National Institutes for Water Resources
The Pueblo del Sol project installed a rainwater harvesting system that would utilize their tennis courts and a portion of an adjacent roof area as collection surfaces.Read more
Regional/Country focus:
United States
North America

Rainwater Harvesting Conservation, Credit, Codes, and Cost: Literature Review and Case Studies

Publication date:
January 1, 2013
The National Institutes for Water Resources
Rainwater harvesting has been used throughout history as a water conservation measure, particularly in regions where other water resources are scarce or difficult to access. In recent years, researchers and policy makers have shown renewed interest in water use strategies due to rising water...Read more
Regional/Country focus:
United States
North America

Rainwater Collection - Calculating Water Supply and Demand to Estimate Storage Needs

Publication date:
February 1, 2011
The National Institutes for Water Resources
This document provides a method for general calculation of water supply and demand for estimating water storage needs. It briefly details the importance of balancing a water budget and how to create a budget. The document also Provides guidance on how much rain water you can collect, necessary...Read more
Regional/Country focus:
United States
North America

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

Publication date:
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/Country focus:
United States
North America

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

Publication date:
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/Country focus:
United States
North America

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

Publication date:
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/Country focus:
United States
North America

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