{"id":1442,"date":"2012-12-01T14:19:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-01T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=1442"},"modified":"2024-08-28T15:20:26","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T19:20:26","slug":"rainwater-harvesting-recycling-a-precious-resource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/rainwater-harvesting-recycling-a-precious-resource\/","title":{"rendered":"Rainwater Harvesting: Recycling a Precious Resource"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
To borrow a phrase from Yogi Berra, when it comes to harvesting rainwater, it\u2019s \u201cd\u00e9j\u00e0 vu all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
History is replete with accounts of ancient civilizations collecting and storing water for household and agricultural uses. The Romans engineered elaborate aqueduct systems to harness and convey rainwater to cisterns beneath the empire\u2019s population centers. And the North American Anasazi channeled rainwater from mesa tops into stone-lined reservoirs for the cliff-dwellers\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Closer to home and our time, crews at the 1800-era Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station built wooden cisterns to collect and store precious fresh water for the remote Outer Banks post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That history lesson was not lost on nature photographer Mike Halminski. When he designed and built his home decades ago at nearby Waves, Halminski installed two 1,300-gallon cisterns for his household and darkroom needs. Though he tapped into Dare County\u2019s water service when it became available in 1996, he maintains the cisterns to collect rainwater for most outdoor uses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like Halminski, many backyard gardeners, developers and coastal community leaders are embracing harvesting rainwater from rooftops as an old idea whose time has come \u2014 again. Rain barrels and cisterns are becoming common sights in neighborhoods and at commercial, government and educational complexes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMore and more, individuals and communities are thinking about sustainable water use,\u201d says Gloria Putnam, North Carolina Sea Grant water quality specialist. In October 2011, she co-organized a workshop that drew about 70 people to Onslow County to learn about rainwater harvesting and reuse strategies for communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n