The Morongo Basin receives anywhere from six to twelve inches a year of rain – the national average is about 30 – so precipitation is a welcome event. Remember that harvesting rainwater is legal in California and can be a great benefit for gardeners. Reporter Heather Clisby has details…
The Joshua Basin Water District wants to remind residents that harvesting rainwater became legal in California in 2012 with the Rainwater Capture Act, as long as the method complies with the California State Water Resources Board requirements. Residential, commercial, and governmental landowners can legally implement and operate rain barrels and cisterns for these purposes. (Colorado and Utah are still heavily regulated on this issue due to complicated water rights.)
While the desert does not receive an abundance of rain, what we do get can be captured and put to good use, especially for outdoor landscaping. Depending on one’s creativity, a full rainwater harvesting system may cost anywhere from mere pennies to hundreds of dollars.
Consider a home with a 1000-square-foot roof: If the owner collected 80 percent of the rain, it would take approximately four inches of rain to fill a 2,000-gallon tank. A “unit” of tap water is 748 gallons so residents could save more than twice the amount for gardening and other non-potable purposes.
While the collected water is not safe for drinking, some rain harvesting systems can also be reconfigured to collect evaporative cooler water run-off during those hot summer months. Visit the link below for more information.
https://www.watercache.com/faqs/rainwater-harvesting-defined
