Maybe everybody’s not doing it…but we all should be! If you missed the Rainwater Catchment workshop, don’t despair. But get in the know. Because its an idea that isn’t going away. Water is a scarce resource. On the Monterey Peninsula, we get all of our water from the Carmel River Watershed. This makes us unique from most of the state that has to pipe their water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains or from Northern California. Over the last few years, the water available to the peninsula has remained the same but our population has grown. Basic economics shows us that with a fixed supply and increasing demand, the price is going up! Not great for those of us on a tight budget.
Check out this graph from Roger Manley’s presentation on the cost of water:
Bottled water…ouch. Why are we buying it? Basic rainwater catchment wont replace potable water, but it can be used to water your plants, to wash off your wetsuit after surfing, to wash your car, etc.
To learn more about it, check out these websites:
http://www.ccrwh.com
www.arcsa.org
www.rainharvest.com