Irrigating Gardens with Rainwater Tanks

Imagine the reaction of many Australian residents with “green thumbs” when rumors began circulating regarding upcoming legislation that would strictly limit the amount of municipal water that residents were allowed to use.  It’s likely that their dismay could be heard from miles around, but an increase in the availability and efficiency of water harvesting techniques has led to a “revolution” of sorts.  The collection and containment of rainfall via rain water tanks has given new hope to many that thought that their gardens, flower beds, or foliage would wither away with the restrictions.  Coming in a variety of shapes, sizes, and designs, any horticulturist will welcome the following information, as it can help to make life a bit easier in the garden maintenance department and help to preserve clean drinking water across the world.
Start with Containment Tanks
You don’t have to have a lot of space to use Australian rain water tanks.  In fact, slimline designs are perfect for attaching to your home or office building.  You can place the downspout just above the reservoir’s opening, maximizing the amount of water you are able to harvest.  If you would have the necessary funding, consider the use of underground water tanks.  They can keep the entire containment system out of sight and help to keep the water cool in the summer time.
Distributing Water Across the Property
If your garden is on the lower end of a grade in the property, it is simple to irrigate the area.  By using a gravity based distribution system, you can simply control the amount of water that naturally flows downhill directly to the gardening area.  If the garden’s location is level or higher than the water tanks, you will need to employ the use of a pump system that powers the water up the grade to the areas in need of irrigation.  There are several types of pumps that offer a wide variety of pressures and water types, so be sure to research the topic before making a purchase.  You don’t want to overspend on a system that you don’t need or find yourself under prepared for contingencies that may occur given the layout of your property or the receptacles you are using.
Creating a “Sprinkler” System
This is probably the easier part of the natural irrigation process.  When you have your rain water tanks set up to collect rainwater, and have a pumping mechanism in place to get the water to the garden or flower bed’s location, you simply need to create a simple “sprayer” technique that will spread the water across the ground or onto the foliage.  By taking polymer or rubber hoses, and inserting spray nozzles at an even distribution along the length of the hose, you can use the pump’s water pressure as the conduit for generating a wide spraying area.  Be sure to cap the end of the hose, however, as without it, no pressure will be generated toward the nozzles, and you will only lose the water through the hose’s open end.
Irrigating a garden during droughts or while adhering to local legislation is not a difficult venture.  Because so many residents enjoy maintaining the lush greenery of their property, water must be found somewhere in order to properly water all of the plants.  Using Australian rain water tanks can alleviate the reliance upon municipal water supplies and allow you to proceed with your current water usage.  The regulations have been put in place to ensure that future generations have access to the same fresh drinking water that we do.  Why not put a personal infrastructure in place to operate in an environmentally efficient and responsible manner?