Rainwater Harvesting Can Create Safe, Decentralized Water Supplies 

The contamination of Toledo, Ohio's water supply by the algae-bloom-derived toxin microcystin reinforces the value of harvesting rainwater to provide distributed sources of safe water. The mission of the 501(c)3 ARCSA is to promote sustainable rainwater harvesting practices to help solve potable, non-potable, stormwater and energy challenges throughout the world. 
 
A well-designed, installed and maintained rainwater harvesting system can provide significant amounts of high-quality water for potable and non-potable, residential and commercial use. Given Toledo's average 34 inches of annual precipitation, a 1,500-square-foot residential roof could collect over 30,000 gallons annually, delivering more than 84 gallons per day of high-quality water for potable and/or non-potable uses. A commercial roof of 100,000 square feet could collect over 2 million gallons annually. Attesting to the quality of treated rainwater, ARCSA board member Jack Holmgreen won a Gold Medal for his rainwater entry in the 2011 Berkeley Springs (West Virginia) International Water Tasting competition.
 
ARCSA is gathering funds, experts and technical writers to create a national rainwater harvesting manual and is soliciting tax-deductible donations. For more information, please contact Heather Kinkade, Executive Director ARCSA, at 512-617-6528 or info@arcsa.org.