PRIVATE WATER SYSTEMS - Surface Waters - Catchment Areas

Catchment Area

Catchment Areas

A catchment is a well defined area from which rainfall runoff is collected. Catchment areas may be building roofs, paved areas, or specially constructed areas covered with plastic or some other impervious material.

Roofs

The type of roofing material affects the quality of water collected from a roof. The most suitable roofing materials are galvanized steel and aluminum. Consider the following before using a roof as a catchment surface:

Gutters

Gutter Guards Installing gutter guards - 1/4 to 1/2 inch hardware cloth screens - should keep leaves and twigs out of the water.

Roof washers are cheaper to construct and require less service than sand, gravel, and charcoal filters. A roof washer traps the first flow of dirty water off the roof. Provide a washer capacity of about 10 gal for each 1000 square feet of catchment. A trickle drain (1/8 inch hole) empties the barrel between rains.

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