Want to avoid brown lawn and garden? Wish you could capture the rain during the wet months? The rain can sustain...just ask the folks at Sustainable Fairfax. They have a whole range of suggestions on how to to capture rain and hold onto it to water your garden during the drier months. (click photos to enlarge)
It's called rain catchment, and it's 'catching' on. In fact just this past weekend, Sustainable Fairfax led tours of three separate facilities, including a local school, that employ rain catchment techniques.
Here's how it works.
When it rains, the water sluices down structure roofs usually passing through gutters into drainpipes and then, wastefully, down driveways and into storm drains. That's water that could be used for landscaping, usually the largest use of water in Marin.
But there are alternatives to watching
precious water go down the drain. Sustainable Fairfax's Executive Director Pam Hartwell-Herrero invited us down to the Sustainability Center to give us a demonstration on
rain catchment techniques and how to create a garden that can be green all year
long without much additional watering.
"Our
mantra is slow it, spread it, sink it."
That's Pam talking about the three ways
to channel water into a water permaculture; that is creating water from where
you don't want it, to where you do.
She points out the water catchment system
at the Center. There are gutters around the roof perimeter that channel
all the water into one large downspout.
Pam admits,
that "a good gutter system is important for channeling the water."
Attached about mid-way, is a leaf and
debris catcher which filters the water as it continues down the spout.
Then the water simply flows in pipes buried in the ground over to a 1,000
gallon water holding tank, which then fills with water. There is a small
spigot at the bottom where water can be emptied and transported to wherever the garden needs watering.
Pam says their tank fills up after one or
two good rains. When the tank fills, there is an overflow spout, which
allows water to flow into another drainpipe and down into a vernal pond
nearby. When that pond fills up, it also has an overflow which again,
flows into another drainpipe which is buried and flows into another, lower
pond. What if that fills and it floods we ask?
She tells us they've never had the second
pond overflow yet. The garden has so little concrete infrastructure that
the earth absorbs a lot of the water. Instead, it has swales, shallow
basins that act to collect excess water and spread it out.
"It creates a unique planting environment and actually makes the plants more resistant to drought," she says, adding, "Besides, water
saturation is important for maintaining the water table."
The garden is also planted with drought
resistant and native plants in addition to the persimmon, pomegranate, quince and peach trees that were already there. They also have 'herb spirals'; rock and herb
planting areas that are three dimensional, and designed to channel water down,
watering a much greater planting area.
Rain chains are also nice ways to divert
water into places you want it. In the Center's case, they've got one in
their front yard directing water into a charming cast iron, clawfoot tub that
acts as a type of lily pond.
"Some
people in town like, others don't," she says with a smile, referring to the bathtub out
front.
Of course the tub also has the overflow
hole already drilled in and when it gets too full, water pours into a small,
grassy area nearby creating yet another vernal pond.
Pam says efforts are underway to increase
education on ways to conserve and re-use water. They have programs
planned on gray water; the re-use of shower, bath and washing machine
water. Those systems are a bit more complicated to install and require
attention to water re-use requirements.
The Sustainability Center has loads of advice on how to recycle and reuse other everyday items and waste.
It has several composters on-site, and also a neat wooden bin of organic refuse
that is part of their red wriggler worm farm. Additionally, because
Sustainable Fairfax is the only recycling non-profit to have a dedicated space,
they have a large display of educational material from all types of green
programs in Marin.
With the water shortage looming and dry
cycles ahead, it makes sense to make the most of the water we do get when it
does rain. A visit to the Sustainability Center is a great way to get a handle on water storage for the garden.
That way, we can make the water mantra,
"slow it, spread it, sink it and store it!"
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- It's located at 141 Bolinas Road in Fairfax, 415.455.9114
- The center has a small retail shop as well.
- They hold workshops and tours on sustainability issues on a regular basis.
- Donations of time and resources are gratefully accepted.
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