Cisterns
Cisterns are a method of capturing, storing, and using rain water. They are commonly used in areas where water is scarce, has been polluted or has been depleted due to heavy use. Cisterns are gaining popularity in the U.S. as fresh water becomes more and more scarce. Cisterns can be used on commercial building as a fresh water supply for landscaping and green roofs during the long hot summer months.
Cisterns are important to use where possible as the more fresh water we use in our homes, business and industry the more it is polluted. In addition, excess run off from commercial building rooftops causes erosion in local creeks and streams and accumulates automotive chemicals and other pollutants from landscaping chemicals and smog that has settled on buildings and surrounding landscapes. The excess runoff captured by cisterns allows it to be reused and filtered and cleansed by the soils that it hydrates as well as slowing down the erosion process. Filtering systems can also be used for smaller parking areas to capture contaminants or biswales can be constructed for larger parking lots.
The western states are running out of fresh water and in fact the Rio Grande River has even dried up in some years as fresh water supplies are being pulled from it. There are also many municipal water supplies that are running out of water for their areas including Atlanta's reservoir which got to the point of a state of emergency. Now, many municpalites are considering legislation to limit water use including the use of cisterns. Displaced rainwater from roofs has little if any affect on local water supplies, so that no matter what your location, just installing a cistern to water the landscaping is a great help to the environment.
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New Homes and Remodeling
Energy Efficient Construction
Green Building and Development Techniques