Should You Be Harvesting Rainwater in Your Yard?

Did you know that about 45 percent of the water you use goes toward maintaining your landscape design? If you want to start conserving water to help the environment and lower your utility costs, you might want to consider harvesting rainwater. Keep reading to find out how this can benefit your home and your plants.

It Helps You Conserve Drinking Water

Since you do not have to pay for rainwater, using it to maintain your landscape can help you make major strides toward conserving the water that you use for drinking and washing. Rainwater has no salt or chlorine, which makes it completely safe for your plants and trees. If you save rainwater and reuse it to water your plants, you do not have to use as much of the water for which you pay.

It Can Bring You a Rebate

Companies like Tucson Water actually offer rebates to customers who buy and use rainwater-harvesting systems. These rebates cover maximum costs of $2,000. Not only will harvesting the rainwater save you money on your water costs, but it can also get you some money back on the cost of your harvesting system. These systems are easy to use and do not require a lot of additional maintenance.

It Gives You Control Over Your Water

If you are tired of relying on others for your water supply, harvesting rainwater helps you take control of it. Whether the city imposes some water restrictions or you do not want to pay as much for your monthly costs, taking control of your water supply means that you have water when you need it.

If you are interested in harvesting rainwater, you should know that there are two types: passive and active.

Passive: A passive system is the most affordable. It involves directing rain water runoff towards your plants. Add retention basins (small basins) to the contour of the ground will capture the runoff and let it soak into the ground and down to the plants roots.

Active: An active system uses some type of cistern to capture and store the water for future use. You can use gravity and a hose from the bottom of the tank to water plants or invest in a pump and filter system to tie the cistern right into your drip irrigation system.

At Santa Rita Landscaping, we want to provide you with the resources you need to build and maintain a beautiful landscape design. For the last 29 years, we have offered some of the best residential and commercial landscaping services in the Tucson area. To learn more about our services or to request a quote, visit us online or call (520) 623-0421.