Brad Lancaster, author and expert on water harvesting, talks to Mitch Tobin about how individuals and communities can make the most of rainfall and greywater to stretch local supplies.
Learn more about Brad’s work in Water Harvester: An Invitation to Abundance, a documentary by Water Desk grantee David Fenster and Arizona Public Media.
The supplementary images in this podcast were reproduced with permission from “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond” by Brad Lancaster and www.HarvestingRainwater.com, where you can purchase Brad’s books.
Episode highlights
 | Brad Lancaster, water harvester Brad is a teacher, consultant, designer of regenerative systems, and the author of the book series “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond.” Related:
Starts at 0:38 |
 | What is water harvesting? “Water harvesting is the practice of planting/infiltrating or tanking, utilizing, and cycling of free on-site waters.” Related:
Starts at 2:20 |
| What kinds of climates are best suited? (5:11) | |
| Where in the US would water harvesting be most helpful? (7:11) | |
| Are there legal obstacles to overcome? (11:06) | |
 | How might streets be redesigned to help? (14:26) |
| Beyond rain, what sources are there and are they safe? (24:10) | |
| Is gray water safe for edible plants? (32:03) | |
| Does reducing runoff cause harm downstream? (35:20) | |
| Where should a homeowner get started? (38:59) | |
| Focus is on residential, but have suggestions for agriculture too (41:16) | |
| Show more episode detail | |
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Additional resources
For more images and information about the case studies and examples in the episode:
- Lancaster residence image gallery
- Greywater-harvesting case study
- Before & after photos of green infrastructure in Dunbar/Spring
- Manzo Elementary School
- Stormwater- & street-runoff harvesting case study (Portland, Oregon)
- El Coronado Ranch and its rock check dams that enhanced water flow
- Brad’s water-harvesting website
- DunbarSpringNeighborhoodForesters website
Share your thoughts – and consider joining us
If you’re interested in appearing on the show, please contact Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin at mitchtobin@colorado.edu. If you’d like to share your comments and questions, you can reach us at waterdesk@colorado.edu, or on Twitter and Facebook.
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