As one of the most innovative water conservation methods today, rain harvesting is a sustainable solution for stormwater management. With multiple rainwater harvesting products, it is easy to capture, filter, and reuse rainwater to water your lawn or garden, build a pondless waterfall feature or bubbling vase, or create a lush water garden.
There are two main reasons to capture rainwater: water conservation and stormwater management.
Water Conservation
Many states periodically experience times of drought and water shortages, so it is important to conserve water, especially if you live in the arid Southwest. The collection and use of rainwater can help reduces high water bills and allow you to avoid strict water usage schedules instituted by your local water supply during hot, dry periods.
Stormwater Management
Regions that experience frequent heavy rainfall can experience flooding and contamination run-off. The contaminated stormwater run-off that ends up in local lakes and rivers can make the water unsafe for fishing or swimming. Having a rain collection system is a great solution to filter and divert the water into a rainwater storage system for later use.
The clean water that is collected can be used to water your lawn and flowerbeds, top off swimming pools and hot tubs, or wash your car, patio, or deck. With some additional rain harvesting system equipment, you can even reuse the water to enjoy a decorative pondless water feature.
How to Turn Rainwater Into a Water Feature
Step 1 - Collect Rainwater
Installing a downspout filter is one of the easiest ways you can collect and filter the rainwater that flows from your roof and into your downspouts. Instead of the water flowing onto your lawn, it will pass a series of mechanical filters that are hidden from view, removing leaves, twigs, seeds, and small sediment before it flows through a pipe system diverting the water to another area or to an underground rainwater storage reservoir
Step 2 - Install Sub-Surface Water Storage
Pre-packaged kits like the Aquascape Water Storage System can be purchased to create a sub-surface rainwater storage reservoir that can hold between 500 and 3,000 gallons of water. These water harvesting system kits come with underlayment, pond liner, waterfall vault extensions, and large rainwater storage modules that you can put together in a variety of configurations to meet the requirements of your project.
Step 3 - Recirculate Rainwater
Turn your rainwater into a stunning focal point in your landscape. You can choose from two rainwater harvesting add-on kits from Aquascape to recirculate the rainwater from the underground reservoir to a decorative waterfall or fountain.
The Aquascape Rainwater Harvesting Pondless Waterfall Add-On Kit makes it easy to direct water from the reservoir to a waterfall or stream and disappear gracefully into decorative gravel, then returning to the reservoir.
Fountain Add-On Kit
Instead of diverting collected water to a waterfall or stream you can also decide to opt for a bubbling vase, stone fountain, and more by utilizing the fountain add-on kit. There are many different decorative features that you can place on top of the water reservoir to fit your style and space. Choose from copper trees, granite spheres, antique steel cups, or basalt stone.
Whether you decide to use rainwater collection for your garden, to do household chores, or to turn rainwater into a decorative waterfall or pondless water feature, collecting water with a rain collection system is great for the environment and can be financially beneficial.