benefits of rainfall collection

Rebecca Blake wrote:I'm very interested to hear more about where you got the calculation for how much water you would need to hold for 3 months supply. You say 26,000L for a typical family of 4. (A little under 7,000G)
I have found multiple local resources that indicate a family of four would need to store WAY more water for a 3 month supply.
For example:

A water conserving household will use between 25 and 50 gallons per person per day. (Pg 33)

This same document later says:

The results of a study of 1,200 single family homes by the American Water Works Association in 1999 found that the average water conserving households used approximately 49.6 gallons per person per day. (Pg 33)

49.6!

So if you have a family of four with each person using 50 gallons a day (a water conserving household, apparently, according to that document), you would need 6,000 gallons (~23,000L) just for a month's supply of water. Now, to store 3 months worth to get by dry periods you would need 18,000G (~68,000L)

You sound like you have helped countless families with their rainwater systems, so riddle me this... Why the disparity? This difference is HUGE. And of course it's creating a household battle here as we compete to find evidence of how much water a family REALLY needs. I'm inclined to believe it's way less than my other family members.

Are we, as Americans, just really THAT wasteful?

I didn't read whole thread yet but have to react to this.

How much water do you people use?!?!?!?!???

Here in SE Europe average is around 5000 L per person per month for city people. That would be 20.000 L per 4 person family per month and 60.000L for 3 months. And that is not the conservative use but your general 'everything is always available' type of use. I know it's correct because I've seen many water bills with that usage in our cities.

I'm shocked by this numbers - both what you wrote for America and what I wrote above.

I live on a small island without municipal water system and without freshwater resource both undergorund and above ground. So rainwater it is for everything.

Our consumption is (that is without irrigation for garden and other plants, but do bear in mind that some of the water that we use in the household have it's secondary use for watering plants):
- cca 750 L/person/month when we don't act conservative at all; 9.000L for 4 people for 3 months
- in months without or with very little rain we can go way down, somewhere around 350 L/person/day; 4.200L for 4 people for 3 months

So yes, all over the world people that have a steady supply of water - either municipal or own systems with wells or dams or whatever - overuse it in a big way.

Basically only communities that are directly reliant on rainwater for everything know how to use it properly without wasting so much

Mare Silba wrote:

Rebecca Blake wrote:I'm very interested to hear more about where you got the calculation for how much water you would need to hold for 3 months supply. You say 26,000L for a typical family of 4. (A little under 7,000G)
I have found multiple local resources that indicate a family of four would need to store WAY more water for a 3 month supply.
For example:

A water conserving household will use between 25 and 50 gallons per person per day. (Pg 33)

This same document later says:

The results of a study of 1,200 single family homes by the American Water Works Association in 1999 found that the average water conserving households used approximately 49.6 gallons per person per day. (Pg 33)

49.6!

So if you have a family of four with each person using 50 gallons a day (a water conserving household, apparently, according to that document), you would need 6,000 gallons (~23,000L) just for a month's supply of water. Now, to store 3 months worth to get by dry periods you would need 18,000G (~68,000L)

You sound like you have helped countless families with their rainwater systems, so riddle me this... Why the disparity? This difference is HUGE. And of course it's creating a household battle here as we compete to find evidence of how much water a family REALLY needs. I'm inclined to believe it's way less than my other family members.

Are we, as Americans, just really THAT wasteful?

I didn't read whole thread yet but have to react to this.

How much water do you people use?!?!?!?!???

Here in SE Europe average is around 5000 L per person per month for city people. That would be 20.000 L per 4 person family per month and 60.000L for 3 months. And that is not the conservative use but your general 'everything is always available' type of use. I know it's correct because I've seen many water bills with that usage in our cities.

I'm shocked by this numbers - both what you wrote for America and what I wrote above.

I live on a small island without municipal water system and without freshwater resource both undergorund and above ground. So rainwater it is for everything.

Our consumption is (that is without irrigation for garden and other plants, but do bear in mind that some of the water that we use in the household have it's secondary use for watering plants):
- cca 750 L/person/month when we don't act conservative at all; 9.000L for 4 people for 3 months
- in months without or with very little rain we can go way down, somewhere around 350 L/person/day; 4.200L for 4 people for 3 months

So yes, all over the world people that have a steady supply of water - either municipal or own systems with wells or dams or whatever - overuse it in a big way.

Basically only communities that are directly reliant on rainwater for everything know how to use it properly without wasting so much

Yep, Americans who are not permies can be this wasteful... and more. I suspect, when they have to use city water and pay for it, they are more careful. We are on a well, so the only cost is electricity for the pump. My hubby, who used to use city water should know better, but just brushing his teeth, he has the cold water tap running full blast during the entire procedure. I still have not been able to break him from that bad habit.
Generally speaking, Americans are also a lot more wasteful: In a supermarket, they expect that their groceries will be bagged, even though there are sacs they can buy that are reusable. I walk away with the groceries in my cart and no paper sac, no plastic bag. they look at me in amazement. One even insisted on plastering stickers all over my groceries:" So people know that you paid for them"!

I have to agree.  Folks here in the US take lots of long showers, drink lots of water (to be healthy), run the dishwasher several times a day, wash small loads of clothes several times a day, not to mention leaky pipes and bad habits ...

Thorough and well presented!
Now sure if you follow the Hawaiian islands much, but the Puna community (along with others is entirely on catchment.  UHManoa has papers out:
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hawaiirain/guidelines.html
And in So Cal, Art Ludwig's books and https://oasisdesign.net/water/conservation/ guided me through my installations.  He had me as soon as he wrote on coliforms microbes.

I grew up in Melbourne, Australia a city which had to be careful with water consumption for many years, in the 1950;s.
Advertisements featuring a character, Wally who abused the water supply.
The catch cry is still, "dont be a 'wally ' with water."

My hubby, who used to use city water should know better, but just brushing his teeth, he has the cold water tap running full blast during the entire procedure. I still have not been able to break him from that bad habit.

On a trip to France in 2006, I was shocked to see a chap do exactly the same and I had to hold myself back from admonishing him.
I was shocked and its still etched in my head.

John C Daley wrote:I grew up in Melbourne, Australia a city which hag to be careful with water consumption for many years, in the 1950;s.
Advertisements featuring a character, Wally who abused the water supply.
The catch cry is still, 'dont be a wally ' with water.

My hubby, who used to use city water should know better, but just brushing his teeth, he has the cold water tap running full blast during the entire procedure. I still have not been able to break him from that bad habit.

On a trip to France in 2006, I was shocked to see a chap do exactly the same and I had to hold myself back from admonishing him.
I was shocked and its still etched in my head.

I'm surprised at hearing that about my former country: piped water is notoriously expensive in France. I wish you had [admonished him]. Here, folks complain about the price of gas but I see them leaving their car running [I assumed locked] while they go about doing their  shopping. IMHO, the stuff is not expensive enough! [The price of gas in France is about 4 times as high as in the US].

This may help you;