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Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is the practice of collecting and using rainwater for various non-consumptive purposes such as watering plants and flushing toilets.  The EcoCenter captures rainwater that falls on the rooftop in three 4,800‐gallon tanks.

Tank 1 harvests rainwater from the “clean” roof (metal roof where the solar panels are located). Captured water is used in the landscape and will one day be used for toilet flushing. Using actual San Francisco precipitation data and daily water consumption at the EcoCenter, we estimate that we could flush the toilets through August or September using only harvest rainwater.  We will save thousands of gallons of Hetch Hetchy water each year!

Tanks 2 and 3 capture rainwater from the living or green roof. In the dry season the water is pumped back up to the roof and is also used in the landscaping.

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