Rainwater Harvesting

We’ve been saving this infrastructure for a rainy day. The Hearst Field Annex Buildings is home to the Rainwater Harvesting Program funded by the Green Initiative Fund in 2017. UC Berkeley currently underutilizes its nearly 24 annual inches of rainfall, allowing the rainwater to run unfiltered into Strawberry Creek. Rather than using rainwater, the campus uses imported Mokelumne River for irrigation. A single student, "Jocleyn" Chia Yun Tsai, initiated this project, securing $24,000 in funding and design support from Wholly H2O and D.I.G. Tsai created a rain harvesting system and bioswale to provide water to the lawn at the heart of the complex. For those wondering, a bioswale is distinct from a rain garden. Bioswales have a more linear shape, while rain gardens tend to be arranged in more of a bowl formation. Both provide water capture and filtration.