Eight Principles of Rainwater Harvesting

  1. Begin with long and thoughtful observation: Notice what’s working and what’s not.
  2. Start at the top of your watershed and work your way down: Collect water at the top, and then let gravity drive your water distribution downhill to meet your needs.
  3. Start small and simple: Strategies are easier to implement and adjust when they are small. Small mistakes are easier to fix than big mistakes.
  4. Spread and infiltrate the flow of water: Slow it, spread it, sink it. Don’t let water erosively run off your land.
  5. Always plan an overflow route, and manage that overflow as a resource: Take advantage of heavy rains.
  6. Maximize living and organic groundcover: Create a living sponge.
  7. Maximize beneficial relationships and efficiency by “stacking functions”: Berms can double as raised walking paths. Plants can also cool buildings. Vegetation can also provide food for people, animals, or insects.
  8. Continually reassess your system since it’s a “feedback loop”

Notes