One of the many blessings that God gives us is rain. It is also another one of those things that was not considered a blessing in the beginning by the majority of people. When rain began to fall from the sky for the first time, it did so non- stop for 40 days and nights. For most people, it was a fatal disaster of world wide proportion. However, in today's world, rain is absolutely vital to our survival. Like most things that fall into that category, rain is also one of those things that we can get directly from God that is a fundamental aspect of our sustainability.

Just like in Caprice, each area where people live is different. So while I cannot tell you how much rain you will get in your area or how much water storage you need to catch in order to supply your needs, I can help you figure it out.

The standard ratio for water catchment is .623 gallons of water per square foot of catchment per inch of rain. So, if you have a catchment area that is 10 ft x10 ft that gives you 100 square ft. Multiply that by .623 and it gives you 62.3 gallons of water for each inch of rain that falls on your catchment area. There are a few other factors that play into that equation such as the angle of your catchment system and the efficiency of your system. You will want it as flat as possible without compromising the efficiency of getting the rain directed into your storage container. To account for these variables and to make sure we plan for enough water, we always multiply our catchment amount at 90% efficiency. For instance, in the example above, we would multiply the 62.3 x 90%, which would leave us with approximately 56.07 gallons of water per square inch of rain for that size of catchment.

One you have that sorted out, the next consideration is the storage capacity of your rain catchment system compared to the typical rainfall in your area.

If you live in an area like middle GA, we get an average of 50 inches of rain per year, so just under an inch per week on average. If that was the way it came down, it would be great. We would know that with a 10 ft x 10 ft catchment area and just under an inch of rain per week that we could fill a typical rain barrel (usually 50 -60 gallon capacity) each week and have that amount to use accordingly. If we need more water in some area weekly, we could just increase the overall size and capacity of our catchment system. However, like most things, it's not that simple, but it doesn't need to be overly complicated either.

Here in our area, we usually have the most rain in spring with March typically being our wettest month and September and October being our driest. Depending upon some other factors like the El and LA Ninos, we can go for longer stretches of rain especially in the winter or extended droughts in the summer or visa-versa. So, we figure our safest bet is to plan year round to accommodate those periods when it is the driest. Because those times do not come and go like clockwork, we consider the longest periods of expected drought or rainfall shortages as a collective and plan ahead for extra water storage to get us through this times whenever they come.

So, if we take the example above and say we used on average 50 gallons of water per week in one area, one 50 gallon rain barrel would be sufficient if the rain came routinely at the average weekly intervals. However, knowing that during part of the year, we could get up to 8 weeks of little to no rain, we know to be on the safe side, we need a backup storage system of approximately 400 gallons of water to do us during those drier periods. So, we plan ahead for that. That could be 8 average rain barrels, or a couple of IBC totes, or 200 glass 2 gallon water pitchers. We prefer to use a combination of all of those. How you choose to store your back up water is up to you, you just need to make sure you have enough to do you through the driest times.

In order to do that you need to find out what your average annual rainfall is for your area. You can do that through a simple Google search on your phone. Make sure it is a reputable site though, like the National Weather Service, etc. Even though most future weather forecasts that we have found do not seem to be very reliable in a lot of ways looking forward, hindset is usually 20/20. So the average rainfall statistics are usually fairly accurate and a good indicator of what is to come in that regard.

Once you know the annual rainfall for your area then you need to figure out realistically and honestly how much water is needed for your household per week. That might take a minute. Remember to add in all of your water needs including things like brushing your teeth, flushing the toilet, washing your hands, dishes, clothes, dogs, and taking a shower. You also need to calculate your potable water needs as well. Include drinking water, water for the pets or other animals, water for the coffee maker and/or ice maker, etc. In the end, you might decide you want to wash your car good in the rain. LOL.

As you are planning your water catchment system, take some time to go through your week or typical month and see how much water you really do use. Once you know that amount, you can simply go back to the calculation above and adjust it accordingly until you reach the amount of catchment and backup storage you need. That should give you a good start in yuor sustainable water catchment endeavor.

I wish you the best on this part of your journey as well as the rest of it. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. I may not have all the answers but I will be glad to help if I can and if not, maybe I can point you in the direction of someone that can.

~~~ We are all on this journey together and none of us can do it all in our own, except God of course, so we might as well all walk together one step at a time.