Education Exchange - Continuing Education Center

Harvesting Rain: System Design for Strategic Rainwater Capture  

Conserving water through rainwater harvesting saves natural resources, providing water for use in buildings and for site irrigation

Sponsored by WATTS Water Technologies, Inc.

While developing Detroit's new Sugar Hill district renovations, Diane Van Buren, project planner and sustainable design coordinator at Zachary and Associates, has shown concern about the environment. Her focus has been on developing housing that will meet today's needs while still planning for the city's sustainable future. In order to meet her environmental targets, she has volunteered to be part of a new Detroit Water Sub-committee (WSC), a unit of city council member Ken Cockerel's Green Task Force. This committee has a framework of key issues that include developing community outreach, water conservation strategies and best management practices. The WSC is currently proposing downspout disconnection as an amendment to the City code in order to reduce the burden on the city's aging infrastructure that still has a combined stormwater and sewer system.

Graphic courtesy of BRAE

Diagram of a residential above-ground rainwater system

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  1. Discuss the basics of rainwater harvesting as a renewable resource.
  2. Specify the many interior and exterior uses of rainwater in buildings.
  3. Identify the components of an integrated rainwater harvesting system.
  4. List community benefits of rainwater harvesting systems.