Harvesting rainwater is an especially urgent idea for a place like Los Angeles: it's built in a desert and imports 85% of it's water.
There is now a pilot system in place in certain neighborhoods: they simply redirect water from the gutter system of houses into a rain barrel. It's easy to connect a sprinkler or hose and use this water for growing food.
Los Angeles is nearly two thirds paved -- the ground is sealed. Without a system like this, all that water just runs straight down to the sea, bringing toxic run off with it.
Harvesting this way however on a 1,000 square foot roof, if you get a rainfall of 15 inches a year -- that results in capturing 96,000 gallons of water.
If everyone did this, Los Angeles could drastically lower it's water waste, water bills, run off problem, and enjoy plenty of unpolluted rainwater for the garden.
The Ultimate Simple Solution Starting NOW!
--Bibi Farber
This video was produced by CBS2/KCal 9 News Channel