Rain Water Harvesting Systems are a way to conserve water. Its provides communities from water resources when utilities are not available.

1. Rain Water
Harvesting
Program
• Limits the consumption of freshwater resources and returns water back to the same watershed so not
to deplete the groundwater and surface water resources of that region in quantity and quality over the
course of a year.
• It balances water availability and use to ensure sustainable water supply for years to come.
• Strategies such as harvesting rain water and recycling discharge water for reuse can reduce the need
for municipal water, exported sewage or storm water.
• Vision ensures that sustainable practices will be instilled and managed throughout the appropriate
levels of the Army, while also maximizing operational capability, resource availability and well-being.
Rain Water Harvesting Strategy
Fort Buchanan
2023MAR_ENERGY & WATER CONSERVATION Brochure
The Directorate of Public Works Environmental
Division’s goal is to fully establish Army Strategy for the
Environment (Army Sustainability) and achieving
optimum environmental controls in order to ensure
healthier and safer environmental management
standards that strengthen and sustains the US Army
Garrison Fort Buchanan’s mission.
Fort Buchanan
Directorate of Public Works
Environmental Division
U . S . AR M Y GA R RIS O N
F O R T B UC HA NA N
DIRECTORATE OF PUBLIC WORKS
ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION
FORT BUCHANAN, PR 00934
For additional information, visit the Directorate of Public
Works Environmental Division at Fort Buchanan Internet
Site;
http://www.buchanan.army.mil/dpw/home.html
or access;
http://www.slideshare.net/FortBuchananEnvironment
If you have any questions regarding this program,
please contact DPW Environmental Division at
(787) 707-3894 / 3579 / 3522.
The Army must maintain a clear picture of how
installation energy and water support its critical
installation capabilities and requirements.
The Army will integrate energy and water
considerations across the enterprise by focusing on
three strategic goals: Resilience, Efficiency, and
Affordability.
Resilience: Ensure energy and water for critical
missions under all conditions.
Efficiency: Optimize energy and water use to meet
requirements effectively and sustainably.
Affordability: Manage energy and water costs to
enable the Army to refocus investment.
Ref. Army Installation Energy and Water Strategic Plan
“Rainwater harvesting is the way
to conserve water.
Its provides communities from water
resources when utilities are not available!”

2. 1. It increases water security and allows us to achieve
a sustainable future with better environment.
2. Rainwater harvesting systems are easy to install,
operate and maintain.
3. It acts as an excellent source of water for landscape
irrigation without filtration.
4. It significantly promotes both energy and
water resilience.
5. Rain water harvesting reduces the flooding on roads
and further prevents it from contamination.
6. It meets water requirements in the areas with less
sufficient water resources.
7. Method to reduce water utility bills with the use of
rainwater harvesting system.
8. Rainwater harvesting system can reduce water con-
sumption by as much as 40% (Ref. Akruthi Enviro Solutions)
Home Rainwater Harvesting Method.
The Rain Barrel :A rain barrel
captures rainwater from your roof
to reduce runoff from your proper-
ty and provide you with water for
lawns, gardens, and indoor plants
to use in dry weather.
For instructions procedures
referee to the
NH-Homeowner-Guide-
2016.pdf (menlosecurity.com)
What is Rain
Water Harvesting?
What are the benefits of
rainwater harvesting?
FORT BUCHANAN SUSTAINABLE RAINWATER HARVESTING PROGRAM
Water is vital for human life. We need water for all
our activities in day-to-day life.
Do you know that most of the
communities in the globe have
no source of drinking water. In
order to resolve the water crisis
and to conserve the water for
the present and for the future
generations, we need to adopt
one of the best way of water conservation called
rainwater harvesting. Here, let’s learn about the
different methods of rainwater harvesting.
Rainwater
Harvesting Methods:
Do you know that in the
past or in an extreme
emergency situation one
of the method to collect
water for drink is build a
rain catchment system
with some plastic sheet-
ing or a military poncho.
There are two methods of RWH:
 Surface Runoff Rainwater Harvesting.
2. Roof Top Rainwater Harvesting.
The Roof Top
Rainwater Har-
vesting
method collect
rain water where it
falls and in which
rain water is
captured from the
roof catchments of
domestic houses
or commercial buildings and stored in the tanks.
Harvested rain water can either be stored in a tank
or diverted to artificial recharge system to meet the
household/commercial needs through storage in
tanks. This method is simple, eco-friendly, less
expensive and truly effective.
In 2018, a new innovative rainwater harvesting system, designed to treat collected rainwater to
drinking standards, was installed at the Fort Buchanan Welcome Center. In 2020, seven additional
systems were installed (and six more went under design) at mission-critical buildings such as the
United States Army Garrison Headquarters, 1st Mission Support Command, Clinic, Police Station,
and Armed Forces Reserve Center. To help push rainwater through the system’s advanced
purification and power the system’s automation and telemetry, the system is equipped with solar
panels enabling it to operate despite disruptions to the electrical grid.
Additional water savings were achieved by repairing the water distribution network. Only one year
after the repairs, Fort Buchanan experienced a 53 percent decrease in water utility costs (from FY18
to FY19), reducing annual water usage from 180M gallons to 60M gallons.
Photo courtesy of U.S. Army
Actually (FY23), Fort Buchanan have
installed sixteen (16) fully Sustainable
Potable RWH systems. Two additional
ones are programmed to be installed
before FY24. Actual water harvesting
capacity is 3.6M gallons per year.
On 2018, Fort Buchanan acquired Las
Casas Lake. A proposed ERCIP project
for a Water Purification system is under
evaluation for FY25. This project could
significantly improve the Installation’s
utility resiliency in the case of natural
disasters. Also providing cost saving to
the utility bill.
The Golf course potable water well
produces an average of 2.1M gal/month,
it represents a 34% of Fort Buchanan
total potable water consumption.