October 20, 2021
Excerpt BY ANDREA PALFRAMAN Published in the Driftwood One Cool Island Series
It’s an October morning in Ganges Harbour. Crowded around the Rotary dinghy dock are assorted skiffs and rowboats, each filled with gallons upon gallons of rainwater. Looking at the collection, you can’t help but notice how prolifically these vessels collect rain when the season is right.
While mariners may need to crack out their bailing buckets, this season, it’s with relief that we tug on our rubber boots. We’re emerging from a drought season that was longer, hotter, and more noticeably harmful to our salmon, cedar and ecosystems than any in recent memory. Squelching through soaked gardens, it’s easy to wonder, “if only we could time the rains to come when gardens need it most!”
Thanks to the availability of rainwater catchment systems, it’s not only possible, it’s simple and affordable.
Islanders are catching on — big time. Recently, Transition Salt Spring piloted a Rainwater Harvesting Rebate program for homeowners looking to install rainwater catchment systems. Transition was overwhelmed with applications, and the program, which provides $250-$500 towards the installation of cisterns, is now fully subscribed.
Shannon Cowan, of Salt Spring Island Watershed Protection Alliance (SSIWPA) was one of those applicants. Ever since moving to her property 5 years ago, she’s wanted to connect her wide barn roof to a garden irrigation system.
Having put together the Non-Potable Rainwater Harvesting Best Practices Guide through her work with SSWIPA, Cowan started to envision her own system within the larger body of knowledge. The system she’s designed involves installing new downspouts to a small tank, which pumps uphill to a larger tank that will flow to her hybrid drip-fed/spray garden irrigation system. The whole system will be set up to be drawn upon during the dry times with water from her artesian well on tap for when groundwater is plentiful.
Says Cowan, “I have been involved with water and watershed protection for 8 years. It’s my humble opinion that if we consider rainwater catchment as the only source of fresh water on the island with which to treat our outdoor spaces — our lawns and gardens — we’d have enough water to spare to meet housing needs and ecological needs that we are currently falling short on.” ……
…. read the rest in the driftwood
…. To learn more, come to the One Cool Island Climate Action Coach webinar ‘How to Install Your Rainwater Harvesting System’ on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 7 pm. Registration is easy and free or by donation by going to https://form-can.keela.co/rainwater-webinar.
While the Transition Salt Spring’s Rainwater Harvesting Rebate has been fully subscribed, there is a waitlist for those who would like to install an eligible system should the Capital Regional District provide additional funding for this program. It is unclear whether funding will be renewed at all, but to get on the waitlist go to https://form-can.keela.co/future-rainwater.
One Cool Island is a regular series produced by Transition Salt Spring on how we can all respond to the climate crisis–together. Andrea Palframan is a member of Transition Salt Spring, and volunteer communications contributor.