"During a gentle rain a typical Oregon downspout sheds several gallons per minute. ... In 1998 we received approval from the city of Portland to use this water for all household use."
Here is a home-built rainwater collection system that supplies the water needs of this Oregon household. This project is not your basic rain barrel at each corner of the house, but a fully pressurized, filtered and purified water system that you could build for your homestead. As the author points out "During a gentle rain a typical Oregon downspout sheds several gallons per minute. Our twelve hundred square foot roof captures on average 3600 cubic feet (27,000 gallons) of water per year."
Included are details of the system from downspout and roof washer to filters and pressure tank. The article also includes several later updates explaining alterations and improvements made to the system. In addition, there are some handy links to other rainwater collection resources including a Rainwater Harvesting Discussion Group.
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