make it permeable.
That’s right. Allowing rainwater to go down into the ground is the most natural, permaculture-esque form of rainwater harvesting. And you don’t have to have a rain garden to do it.
- a permeable patio
A simple change in basic materials, at no extra cost, can make your patio permeable. The one pictured to the right uses standard Holland pavers that were pulled up and reused, set on a base of ‘clear’ stone (shown below)
- permeable base of clear gravel
All finished, this patio can now retain up to 1,500 gallons just under the pavers..
And what better place to put a rain bench or seat than on a permeable patio?
So make it permeable. The surrounding plants will love it.
This is certainly a great example of a creative rainwater harvesting system in a domestic setting. Over at Wahaso, we’ve been developing rainwater and greywater harvesting systems for commercial and institutional properties. If you’re interested in learning more about those types of projects, you can read about some of our projects here: http://wahaso.com/projects/.