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Cisterns

Papers
  1. Cisterns (University of Florida)
      "Gutters and downspouts should be easy to clean and inspect. Rainwater picks up dust, soot, bird droppings, leaves and other foreign materials that add objectionable organisms, color and odor to the water. Do not collect water under overhanging trees. Gutter guards and roof washers can improve the quality of the collected water."

      "Gutter guards made of 1/4" to 1/2" mesh hardware cloth placed over the gutters keep out leaves and other large objects. Sand, gravel or charcoal filters are sometimes used to filter water before it enters the cistern but they require frequent maintenance to prevent contamination."

      "Roof washers are cheaper to construct and need less maintenance than filters. A roof washer traps the first flow from the roof and channels this dirty water away from the cistern. After the first flow, the water from the rest of the rainfall flows to the cistern. The roof washer should have a capacity of about 10 gallons for each 1000 square feet of roof area." 08-07

  2. Cisterns (Wikipedia.org)
      "Cisterns are commonly used in areas where water is scarce, either because it is rare or because it has been depleted due to heavy use. Early on the water was used for many purposes, including cooking, irrigation, and washing. Present day cisterns are often only used for irrigation, due to concerns over water quality. Cisterns today can also be outfitted with filters or other water purification methods when the water is meant for consumption. A few people leave their cisterns open to catch rain, or have more elaborate rain-catching systems. It is recommended in these cases to have a system that does not leave the water open to mosquitoes or algae, which are attracted to the water and then carry disease to nearby humans." 08-07

  3. Cisterns: Roof Washer (EDIS)
      "Roof washers are cheaper to construct and need less maintenance than filters. A roof washer traps the first flow from the roof and channels this dirty water away from the cistern. After the first flow, the water from the rest of the rainfall flows to the cistern. The roof washer should have a capacity of about 10 gallons for each 1000 square feet of roof area. Figure 1 shows a typical roof washer consisting of a valve and shunt tap system." 01-08

  4. Cisterns: Size Needed (Rain-Barrel.net)
      "In the average American family of four, anywhere from 900 to 1200 liters of water are consumed daily. So much water, what if it doesn’t rain for six months? Well, calculate the amount of cubic liters needed to safely use a cistern year round according to catchment size, rainfall, and daily consumption. The longest dry season, will determine the longest length of time without water, and that multiplied by days and liters would give the total size of any given rainwater cistern." 01-08

  5. Cisterns: Size Needed (Rain-Barrel.net)
      "Rain barrels are 50-100 gallon covered plastic tanks with a hole in the top for downspout discharge, an overflow outlet, and a valve and hose adapter at the bottom. They are used almost exclusively on residential properties. Since rain barrels rely on gravity flow, they should be placed near, and slightly higher than, the point of use (whether a garden, flower bed, or lawn.) The overflow outlet should be routed to a dry well, bioretention area, or rain garden. It is important for property owners to use the water in rain barrels on a regular basis, or else they fill up and no additional roof runoff can be stored. It is recommended that each house have at least two rain barrels; a one inch storm produces over 500 gallons of water on a 1000 square foot roof." 01-08

Purchase Resources
  1. Cisterns (WaterTanks.com)
      " American Tank Company's polyethylene underground water cisterns are manufactured by means of the rotational molding process, which produces a one-piece, seamless, watertight tank and have a unique ribbed design that gives the tank added strength."

      "Our cisterns are ideal for instances when drinking water must be hauled in or if a well just doesn’t meet consumption needs. As with all of our water storage tanks, our cisterns are produced with 100% virgin resin, which meets FDA specifications for potable water."

      Awesome Library does not endorse these products but provides them as examples. 01-08

       


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