Water Harvesting

Water Harvesting Systems

We must reconsider and redesign our relationship with water in the 21st century. Water harvesting systems allow us to reduce our dependence on extractive municipal water systems by collecting and recycling water on-site. There are 3 main types of water harvesting systems:

Rainwater systems collect and store rainwater from our roofs, for clean and effective irrigation or potable water solutions
Greywater systems recycle used water from our laundry machines, showers, bathtubs, and bathroom sinks, and direct it to irrigate our fruit trees and perennial gardens.
Earthwork systems (bioswales) passively collect rainwater run-off into basins to slow, spread, and sink the rainwater into the soil and the surrounding plants.

In Spring 2018 I was certified as a Water Harvesting Design Practitioner with the Watershed Management Group in Tucson, AZ. I was trained to install rainwater, greywater, and simple earthworks systems on a residential, school or land project scale. I can consult and install rainwater systems up to 5000 gallons and Laundry to Landscape greywater systems, as well as simple earthworks systems such as rain gardens. Larger water harvesting systems actually require permitting and more experienced design and installation requirements.

If you would like to learn more about the water harvesting potential of your home, school, or land project, please contact us!

Laundry to Landscape system with mulch basins for the laundry greywater to irrigate a pineapple guava, apple tree, and orange tree. The pathway is also dug out and full of mulch, which will help slow, spread, and sink rainwater run-off into the garden.

This 1320 gallon rainwater system was installed along with a 10'x12' garden shed roof for a ecological homestead in Albany, CA

165 gallon rainwater system built with repurposed food-grade barrels on a platform to water a small residential garden in Alameda, CA.

275 gallon rainwater system and outdoor greywater kitchen for the Hoover Elementary School Victory Garden in West Oakland, CA.

Laundry to Landscape greywater system and mulch / swale pathway one year later, with the plants happily growing!

Collaborative rainwater installation for a Diné family of sheep herders in Northern Arizona.