Found this and thought I'd share it ; http://www.galtsgulchorbust.com/?expref=next-blog
Permaculture Tidbit of the Day (Water)
97% of the Earth's water is salt water.
3% of the Earth's water is fresh water
.03% of the Earth's water is usable fresh water
The other 2.97% of fresh water is in the form of clouds and glaciers
As you can see, water is a precious resource indeed.
For every 1 inch of rainfall, for every 1000 square feet of footprint of a building, you have the potential of capturing 600 gallons of usable water from your roof.
The footprint of my house is roughly 1330 square feet. My garage is roughly 625 square feet. The sum of both is 1955 give or take. I feel comfortable rounding that up to 2000. So every time it sprinkles (1 inch of Spring or Summer rain in Illinois is a sprinkle) I have the potential of catching 1200 gallons of usable water for my garden.
Every gallon of water you harvest in a catchment system is a gallon you do not have to pay for. Every gallon of water you harvest in a catchment system is a gallon that will not go wasted into a storm drain.
The survival aspect of this should be evident. In times of drought, a scarce resource like water is even more scarce. If you have water collected in tanks from the spring rains, your garden will thrive throughout a drought ridden summer. To take this one step further, in times of extreme crisis your city water may be shut of completely. Your survival preps should call for storing fresh drinking water independent of a rain catchment system. Having extra water saved in a tank that can be used to bathe, will go a long way in the quality of life department for everyone in you household.
Give these numbers a try for your property. Try to estimate how much water your garden needs in one months time. Put it all together, and you will find that a water catchment system is in your best interests.
Water storage
Water storage
"The said constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." Samuel Adams
Re: Water storage
Its a good idea. I live in montana and my parents have a 2 story barn they built for hay and the horses, but they wanted a water trough back there and had no way to fill it. So when we built the barn about 5 years ago they put gutters on it and ran a pvc tube down to a 500 (I think) gallon water trough. We don't get very much rain in the summers but that trough was never empty! could be a good survival tool
"If you are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, grab your rifle and head outside.
If you're the only dumbass with a rifle screaming like a maniac, go back inside. It isn't time yet."
If you're the only dumbass with a rifle screaming like a maniac, go back inside. It isn't time yet."