Dating back to ancient times, somewhere around the origins of agriculture, rainwater catchment systems were used to harvest and store rainwater for practical, agrarian reasons—like water retention, irrigation and erosion control.

In today's day and age, rainwater harvesting systems can also increase property value, decrease dependence on municipal water sources, provide homeowner rebates and help with fire protection. And, surprisingly, they can be practical and cost effective, with small, do-it-yourself systems costing as little as $50 to start.

Winter is the most bountiful of the seasons when it comes to water catchment, and there's no denying that the rainy season has descended here on the Central Coast, where rainfall during the months of November through March averages about 30 inches a year.

Last year's wildest storm unleashed nearly 10 inches of rain in a few short hours, pummeling rooftops with water, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of people and creating dangerous mudslides and treacherous driving conditions all around the Monterey Bay and beyond. Now that's a lot of rainfall.

Predictions for this year's rainy season aren't quite as wet, which means water conservation will remain quite the hot topic here in Santa Cruz County, and with drought years occurring more often than not these days, the city of Santa Cruz will continue to hear plans for the proposed multi-million-dollar, high-energy-use desalination plant in the coming months.

But many Santa Cruzans believe a desalination plant should only be considered a solution to our water woes after alternative water conservation efforts are fully explored and implemented. Meanwhile, a number of environmentally sound water conservation solutions, such as rainwater catchment, gray water systems, drip irrigation, drought-tolerant landscaping, simple water regulations and composting toilets can all help ease the pinch felt during the drier, more drought-prevalent seasons.

Water Conservation Gets Personal

One of the simplest ways to take water conservation into one's own hands is by harvesting and storing water for future use with a self-installed rainwater catchment system. The most basic of systems can be anything from a strategically placed wine barrel collecting rainwater exclusively for a summer garden, to a modest, 100-gallon system consisting of a tank, some PVC tubing and a valve, filter and spigot.

There's no need to search far and wide for help, either. There a number of excellent, local resources, like Earthcraft Landscape Design, specialists in rainwater catchment systems, or TerrraNova Ecological Landscaping, which does everything from creating water catchment systems to drip systems, erosion control and custom gray water systems. The Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County also hosts periodic workshops on water catchment, as well as offers financial assistance for homeowners who employ qualifying conservation practices on their properties. There are even a few local rebates available for things like cistern installation, turf replacement and smart water conserving timers.

The proper use of rainwater catchment systems can help control erosion, especially for sloped areas. And any rainwater collected and stored for future use will be directed back into the water table at a much slower rate, while keeping toxic pollutants from flowing into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and improving overall water quality.

All that makes runoff abatement and rainwater catchment a no-brainer in our sometimes wet, sometimes extremely dry Santa Cruz climate, and an essential solution for restoring depleted water tables and protecting the heath of our marine sanctuary.

With the wettest weather fast approaching, it's rainwater catchment go-time.