Average Annual Rainfall

• Toilets, Laundry, Gardens, and Cars use 53% of the water in a home. Harvested rainwater can be used for all of these. 8

• Rainwater is the ideal source for plant growth. 8

• It’s free and sustainable. 8

Video

What are cisterns?•Rain-catching systems from rooftops via gutters

•Delay the use of the rainwater

•Slower rate with drip system

How can the cistern

be camouflaged? •Trellis with vines

•Behind bushes

•Painted natural colors

How does the cistern refrain

from contamination?

•Cover tank with lid so as to keep mosquitoes out 13

Setting Up Outside• Place a receiver barrel under the

gutter to collect rainwater from the roof. 11

• Other barrels are attached using piping to store the rainwater. 11

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What if the Water Freezes?

• Place underground

• Fish Tank heaters

• Continuous movement

• Keep barrels only three quarters full during winter

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•Plants grow better in rainwater, which has a balanced pH and is

free of chemicals such as chorine.

•Utilizing stored rainwater saves energy and money compared to

garden hose usage.

Why collect your own water for garden/external use?

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• Each person uses approximately 80 to 100 gallons of water at home per day•20% of household water is used to flush the toilet, by far the largest use of household water •Americans flush 4.8 billion gallons of water down the toilet every day•Replacing an old toilet with a new low-flow john gives water bill savings of $46/year - you'll make back the cash in 5 years.

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• Greywater systems take water from sinks and showers, disenfect it and store it and use it as toilet water

• Costs around $200• If placed in every

house in the US, a greywater system could save around 4.8 million gallons of water per day!

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Today a low-flow Standard Showerhead•2.5 gallons per minute •a water pressure of 80 pounds per square inch (psi)

A leak of one drip per second can cost $1 per month.

You can save 5 - 10 gallons of water for every minute you cut back

In the time a standard shower head can fill a 5 gallon tank a low-flow shower head fills a tank to about 2 gallons

Before 1992, showerheads had flow rates of 5.5 gpm

1

Do you need a new showerhead?

•Take a one-gallon bucket

•If it takes less than 20 seconds to fill a one-gallon, bucket you need a water-

saving showerhead.

1

2 basic types of low-flow showerheads

-Aerating -Laminar-flow Aerating showerheads mix Laminar-flow showerheads form air with water, forming a misty spray individual streams of water

A high-efficiency shower head uses ~60-70% less water than a standard

shower head

Some Low-flow shower heads have cut-off valves that turn off the water

when not in use.

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Roadrunner

Delta Fluidics H2OKinetics Showerhead

ETL Oxygenics Gold Showerhead 620-XLF

2.0

•flow rate of 1.59 gpm, •uses 36% less water than standard showerheads •$39.99

• 1.6 gallons per minute • water-saving comfort spray and a high-volume spray • $30.00

•saves on average 1,835 gallons per person per year. •$39.95

Suggested High-Efficiency Showerheads

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• Saves ½ gallon per flush • Directs water to the tank and less to the bowl

during refill so the tank and the bowl finish filing a the same time

• Costs only $ .75!!!

5

An easy way to preserve

water…Check

for Leaks!

• Add 10 drops of food coloring to your toilet

• Wait 10 minutes.

• If the color appears in the bowl, your toilet has a leak

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Water Displacement Device– saves you at least a half-gallon per flush and it costs next to nothing! Highly recommended and

easy!1. Fill a plastic container half way with pebbles and the other half with water and seal.

2. Place the container in the tank of the toilet

3. Carefully lower it into the toilet

4. Replace the lid of the toilet

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