If you are thinking about catching some rainwater for irrigation and you already have all your downspouts and surface drains plumbed to the storm drain, this can be a great scenario. In this project, we intercepted the pipe to the storm drain with a sump and a pump to deliver the water to storage tanks at a convenient location on this client’s property.

It is important to filter the water before pumping it to the storage tanks, especially when you are including surface drains as well as roof drains. We added a sediment bag filter to this system, which slides out easily for servicing.

For this project, the stormwater is pumped to two 530 gallon slimline tanks at the far end of the property from the collection point. What is great about this set up is the tanks are uphill from the fruit trees that they will irrigate. This means that the irrigation will be by gravity — directing the overflow from the tanks into swales that will distribute the water. There is also a gravity hose bib that can be included — either in the same earthworks or to deep water other plants.

Here at Catching H2O, we love using pumps when it makes sense, and we are committed to using gravity systems whenever possible!