Winter rainstorms clear Stanford's campus, sending students running for cover. But few stop to think about where all of that water goes and how it winds up back in our pipes.

This weekend, Students for a Sustainable Stanford (SSS) answered that question and proposed a shortcut during its four-hour workshop. Enlisting the help of rainwater catchment expert and founder of Rainsavers, Brad Daniel, the on-campus organization demonstrated how to install and successfully use a rainwater catchment system.

The workshop itself consisted of a brief informational session, an exterior site assessment and then a step-by-step explanation and demonstration of how to install the rainwater catchment system.

"This rainwater catchment system is continuing from last year—what we built at Synergy [student co-op]," said junior Akwasi Abrefah, co-leader of SSS with sophomore Hannah Rich. "We built a rainwater catchment system for their compost bin. We wanted to expand this year to Columbae and a larger system." 

"Brad Daniel a few years ago started a company called Rainsavers," Rich said of the day's expert guest. "He installs tanks for people and households. He works with people to come up with the best system to serve people's houses and gardens. He is one of the very few people who is doing this work. He's being very generous with his time, which we're very grateful for."

Daniel, as well as a few student volunteers, sawed, piled, packed and placed, setting up a large barrel on the south end of Stanford's row house, Columbae. They altered a drain to funnel rainwater into the barrel so it can be recycled.

"You may have to work the engineering a little, but it's really not that complicated," said Clementine Stip, a junior environmental engineer student.

Rich insists that similar systems that conserve water and energy by gathering rainwater are already quite common across the globe, from the developing world (India, Indonesia) to the developed world (Australia). 

"I think what's stopping rainwater harvesting from becoming prevalent in the United States is we don't see the need or have the pressure on us to come up with these more innovative systems," Rich continued. "When you think about it, catching rainwater is an old system ... it's nothing fancy. It's a simple system that you're putting together."

Rich and her colleagues hope to implement rainwater harvesting systems across the Stanford campus. They have been in negotiations with campus housing to make this aspiration a reality.

"Housing has been really great in working with us," she added. "They've been really supportive of us trying to do these projects. The biggest roadblock we've encountered is in trying to establish control of upkeep."

Rich and SSS hope to combat the strain and cost of water usage on municipal systems and localize water distribution with the SSS's efforts.

"Our dependence on municipal water makes us less likely to implement these systems," said Rich, a human biology major.

Stip agreed. "Water's so cheap here, we just take it for granted and we don't see the need to create these complicated infrastructures. It's a lot more convenient to collect it off the top of your roof or the side of your home."

Both Rich and Stip point to Sydney, Australia, as an example of the potential of rainwater harvesting: The vast majority of the city's water comes from rainwater harvesting and desalination plants.

Daniel and his company, Rainsavers, consult individual households and families on how to conserve and maximize water usage. He is one of the few in the South Bay available to install these systems and educate homeowners about water conservation through rainwater catchment systems. He formed a partnership with Stanford sustainability groups last year at a workshop hosted by the group that Stip helps lead, Engineers for a Sustainable World.

To find out more information on Students for a Sustainable Stanford and Rainsavers or any of the other organizations mentioned in this article, go to their websites. Next week marks the 10th anniversary of Students for a Sustainable Stanford.