Rainwater Harvesting
Everyone lives within a watershed and is dependent on watersheds to provide for the basic needs of everyday life, from water and food to materials to build homes and keep us warm. Water is fundamental to life. Terrasophia integrates a synergy of water strategies to make best use of available water resources in meeting water needs. This synergy of strategies includes property assessment, creating a water budget, land forming (such as swales and rain gardens), building healthy living soils, selecting micro-climate appropriate plantings, applying mulch, installing rainwater catchment systems, incorporating graywater as appropriate, and using effective irrigation systems to meet any remaining demand.
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Property Assessment
Detailed Property Assessment for Rainwater Harvesting is available and can include: precipitation patterns, water use assessment, water bill analysis, soil texture and fertility, irrigation and ETo analysis, stormwater runoff volumes from various surfaces and roofs, and land capability for potential strategies to meet water conservation and security goals. Property Assessment helps to gather site information and do preliminary assessment of the potential strategies appropriate for a given site and budget. Clients are empowered to continue developing their rainwater harvesting projects on their own, or can engage terrasophia for additional Consultation, Education, Ecological Design and Project Management Services.
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Opportunity awaits to transform our landscapes into places of health, beauty, and functionality. Each site is designed to enhance the unique character of the place in a way that meets the needs of the people and community. Terrasophia works closely with clients to create cost-effective strategies for maximizing the beneficial outcomes from landscape decisions. Clients are engaged in the ecological design process as we integrate rainwater harvesting, edible landscaping, herbal medicine, natural building features and other elements to create a phased approach to developing a landscape fit to place. Garden Coaching services are offered to support clients in becoming empowered to maintain their own landscapes and/or better understand the seasonal cycles of their place.
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Rain Gardens
Rain Gardens are designed to welcome water into the landscape where it can infiltrate into the soil to and be biologically filtered. Runoff from buildings, parking lots, driveways, hardscaping and landscaping is directed to retention basins and/or basin-and-berm topography landscaped with appropriate plants, mulch, logs, rocks and art to provide aesthetic habitat that improves water quality and provides useful yields.
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Rain Catchment
Water from roofs is collected in cisterns and stored for later use. Catchment systems help to buffer peak storm events that cause flooding and erosion, and can be drained between rain events to maintain this flood-buffer benefit. Water stored in the tank is used in the dry months for landscape irrigation, emergency supply, wildlife or livestock water supply, and/or fire protection.
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