Rainwater Harvesting Policy Resources

The following is a list of websites, reports and publications for rainwater catchment systems legislation, policy guidelines, design and maintenance. The resources are listed alphabetically by country, then state, then city or publication title. It is our hope that citizens and policy makers will use this information to create policy language, pass initiatives and install rainwater catchment systems in their own cities, states and countries. This page was last updated on April 2, 2008. Please contact us if any of these links are broken or no longer valid.

AUSTRALIA

• Gold Coast City Council – www.goldcoastwater.com.au/rainwatertanks
A city council that has created a Waterfuture Strategy to meet the water savings targets established by the Queensland State government in Dec. 2006 (see below). The Council mandates the installation of rainwater tanks for non-potable uses such as washing machines, toilets and outdoor uses on all new residential and commercial construction beginning Jan. 1, 2007. This is a great source for policy language and guidelines for homeowners, builders and planners.

• State of Queensland – www.dip.qld.gov.au/sustainable-living/index.php
This is the main page for Queensland’s Sustainable Living and the recent changes to the Queensland Code.  To view the code, go to www.dip.qld.gov.au/building/current-and-draft-parts.html and refer to the following:
o    MP 4.1 Sustainable Buildings which sets the mandatory water and energy efficiency measures required for new Class 1 buildings (houses, townhouses, terrace houses) and Class 2 sole occupancy units (units).  
o    MP 4.2 Water savings targets, which requires that new class 1 buildings meet prescribed water savings. This can be achieved through the installation of a rainwater tank, communal rainwater tank, dual reticulation, stormwater reuse, or a greywater treatment plant.
o    MP 4.3 Alternative water sources commercial buildings, which sets the mandatory requirements for all new commercial and industrial buildings to have an alternative water source.  This can be achieved through the installation of a rainwater tank, water storage tank or a greywater treatment plant.
o    To see all the guidelines and factsheets developed for these parts of the code go to: www.dip.qld.gov.au/guidelines/queensland-development-code.html
o    To learn more about their rebate schemes for tanks go to www.nrw.qld.gov.au/water/saverscheme/rebate_schemes

ARIZONA

• Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands, Volume 1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain Into Your Life and Landscape - www.Harvestingrainwater.com by Brad Lancaster, Rainsource Press (2006).

• City of Tucson - www.ci.tucson.az.us/water/harvesting
Tucson Water’s website has a section on water harvesting where you can download a copy of City of Tucson Water Harvesting Guidance Manual (2005), a publication that includes harvesting principles, design, examples and Tucson Code Requirements for Water Harvesting. This site also has a link for the University of Arizona’s Harvesting Rainwater for Landscape Use (2004) by Patricia H. Waterfall, a detailed booklet on simple and complex water harvesting systems and explains how to calculate supply and demand.

HAWAII

• Guideline on Rainwater Catchment Systems for Hawaii - www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/ctahr2001/PIO/FreePubs/FreePubs09.asp#Water, by Patricia S. H. Macomber, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa (2001). A 53-page document that details water collection, storage, treatment, testing and catchment system maintenance.

CALIFORNIA

• Oasis Design - Rainwater Harvesting - www.rainwaterharvesting.net - a design firm that consults and sells the book Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers and Ponds (2005) by Art Ludwig.

MARYLAND

• Low-Impact Development Hydrologic Analysis – www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/lid_hydr.pdf
Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources (1999).

NEW MEXICO

• Albuquerque and Bernalillo Counties - http://www.uswaternews.com/archives/arcconserv/8waterule2.html
These counties have mandated rainwater tank and water harvesting earthwork installation on new residential and commercial construction.

• City of Santa Fe - Storm Water as a Resource: How to Harvest and Protect a Dryland Treasure (2002) - www.santafenm.gov/DocumentView.asp?DID=532 . This booklet details site planning and design, water harvesting techniques and erosion control with great illustrations.

• County of Santa Fe – www.santafecounty.org/about_us/documents/development_guidelines.pdf
This county has passed water saving rules that mandate rainwater harvesting into tank and water harvesting earthwork installations on new residential and commercial construction.

TEXAS

• American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) - www.arcsa-usa.org
American association for the advancement of rainwater harvesting.

• Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged - www.rainwater.org/rainwater_collection_how.html by Suzy Banks with Richard Heinichen (1997)

• Rainwater Harvesting Potential and Guidelines for Texas – www.twdb.state.tx.us/iwt/rainwater/docs/RainwaterCommitteeFinalReport.pdf
by the Texas Rainwater Harvesting Evaluation Committee, Texas Water Development Board (2006).

• Texas Manual On Rainwater Harvesting, 3rd Edition – www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/RainwaterHarvestingManual_3rdedition.pdf
Texas Water Development Board, Austin Texas, (2005)

WEST VIRGINIA

• On Tap Magazine – www.nesc.wvu.edu/ontap.cfm - Controlling Cross Connections issue , Fall 2007