Image 1 of 1
Rainwater Catchment & Use
Central North Carolina gets upwards of 40 inches of rainfall annually on average and that rainfall is fairly evenly spread out over the entire year. For each square foot of roof (or collection area) each 1" of rainfall can produce 0.623 gallons of rainwater. A roof with a surface area of 1000 square feet (the roof area on an 800 to 900 square foot house with overhangs) would potentially be able to collect 623 gallons of rainwater for each 1" of rainfall, or almost 25,000 gallons in a year of 40" of rainfall.
Water is an essential building block for life. Learn the many ways to slow down, capture, hold, and utilize the important rainwater resource we are blessed with. We will cover ways to collect rainwater, store rainwater, purify and clean rainwater, pipe and/or pump rainwater to where we need it, freeze protect it in winter, adjust its pH if necessary, have it as a primary or emergency water source, and much more. We also will do a walking tour and see many varied examples of ways to catch and hold rainwater. The workshop will also install a simple rainwater catchment system involving a roof, gutters, downspouts, holding tank, and piping. The workshop is led by licensed plumber Harvey Harman, who has 30+ years of rainwater catchment experience in central North Carolina and Africa.
Additional Workshop Information
Join us for lunch (included), from noon-1pm
All materials are included.
This workshop is eligible for use with a season pass.
Youth under 18 may attend free with an adult registered for the same workshop (1 youth per adult).
Early-bird pricing ($55) is available through June 6. After that, the cost is $75.
Meet the Instructor: Harvey Harman
Harvey is a green builder, licensed plumber, conservation-oriented land developer, organic farmer, teacher, and writer. Harvey is influenced by his experiences of living in various community settings, including a remote retreat center in the cascade mountains in Washington state, and five years in a traditional, rural village in Southern Africa. Harvey initiated and helped develop the Sustainable Farming Program at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) in Pittsboro, NC, and has taught many classes at CCCC in the past 25 years in Sustainable Agriculture, Permaculture, Green Building, and Construction/Plumbing. Harvey was the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Farmer of the Year in 1998. Harvey is also a cofounder of Living Well Ecovillage and is passionate about building resilient and sustainable networks of people and communities. In his spare time Harvey loves to design and build small and tiny houses and share information and practical skills with others.
