Water isn’t just a utility; it’s the foundation of every community, every home and everything modernity touches. However, in a world of aging infrastructure and recurring droughts, our current systems need a new vision. It’s time to rethink the entire flow and purveyance of water, whether clean, dirty or naturally occurring.

For small towns like where I live, which have not yet invested in stormwater systems and have more rural terrain with minimal solid surface, this is a tremendous opportunity to not add to the watershed but redirect it for reuse. 

For plumbers, this is more than a new opportunity; it’s us again playing a pivotal role in the resilience of growing towns and cities. Rainwater and stormwater harvesting are practical, scalable solutions, and we’re the ones who can make it happen by setting standards. Whether reclaiming water from rooftops or reimagining urban runoff as energy storage, we have the tools, knowledge and boots on the ground to lead this charge.

A quiet revolution in the backyard

Imagine every home equipped with a cistern or collector tank, harvesting rain from the roof to flush toilets, water the garden or even provide filtered drinking water, where scarcity exists. In states such as California, where aquifers are tapped out and water import costs are skyrocketing, a single 1,000-gallon tank could potentially shave off 20% to 30% or more from a family’s water usage for nonpotable needs. That’s real savings for the homeowner and even a solution for utilities, which will likely play a role in health and safety compliance.

This is not futuristic tech we are talking about, but a subject ripe for a boom. Modular tanks can easily slide under decks or into basements for storing reclaimed water in a cool, dark environment. Smart pumps can easily integrate with weather apps and data sets. Filtration systems have gone compact and are far more affordable for systems considering potable reuse. 

Combine that with automated irrigation controllers, something I’ve written about in a previous column on smart homes, and you get precision watering that syncs with local weather, plant needs and trackable storage levels for trend reporting. This could be a major win for homeowners, especially those investing in urban gardens for backyard food production or those trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle. 

Whether irrigating a vegetable patch or scaling up for community agriculture, rain-fed systems paired with smart tech help reduce utility costs, build resilience and shrink a home’s water footprint. If we’re serious about sustainability at the local level, this is how we do it, one yard at a time.

For plumbers, this is a big opportunity and something we should all get behind. The knowledge to install a system, educate the customer and contract continuous specialized maintenance is an emerging market. Become the go-to expert for resilient water systems where not a drop gets left behind and being circular works. 

Places like Tucson are already proving it works; offering homeowners rebates there has helped save more than 1.6 billion gallons of water since 2012 (https://bit.ly/42Skgdw). Scale that nationally, and we’re not only saving water, but we’re also changing the game.

Big city moves, bigger payoffs

Now let’s zoom out to a wider perspective. While rainwater systems empower homeowners, stormwater harvesting at scale transforms cities. Think about all that water racing down curbs and solid surfaces, vanishing into storm drains and watersheds. That’s not waste, it’s a missed opportunity.

According to sources, a city like Los Angeles estimates it could capture more than 114,000 acre-feet of stormwater annually — enough supply to make a huge dent in the city’s drought resiliency. Santa Monica already diverts 50 million gallons a year to supplement its water supply and promotes this at santamonica.gov as a huge win from its “sustainable water infrastructure project” (https://bit.ly/4isVgyb). These are working systems, not wishful thinking; they are becoming transformative plumbing solutions for cities. 

Here’s where I get wild: thermal energy. Urban runoff has an ambient temperature loop potential we’ve yet to talk about. That means it can be tapped for heating and cooling as sources and sinks for buildings. Imagine commercial buildings using stormwater-fed loops to stabilize their HVAC loads, cutting energy bills while using a resource that used to go straight down the drain.

Why aren’t more cities doing this?

Great question. The answer? Politics. Permitting and plumbing codes haven’t caught up in most states. Add in land-use headaches and interagency lack of coordination, and it’s easy to see why stormwater harvesting hasn’t hit prime time yet. It requires real professionals and continuous maintenance for public safety. 

However, that’s where plumbing professionals, engineers and designers can help; we’re the ones who can make it real. In Texas, Austin’s Central Library runs on a 373,000-gallon cistern covering 85% of its nonpotable water needs, according to Texaslivingwaters.org (https://bit.ly/4lHpRuK). That’s not theory, it’s in practice through its adoption of uniform codes and building for research. This library takes building air-conditioning condensate and even cleans the collected water to safe standards for potable use through bag filters and UV disinfection. 

Imagine that multiplied across neighborhoods, campuses or business parks, then looped into energy systems, saving local taxpayers even more. This idea turns public buildings into assets rather than tax liabilities for residents, and much more in the long run. 

The plumber again plays problem-solver

These systems are rooted in plumbing fundamentals but elevated through smart design, continuous education by research and integration with modern technology. Whether installing a rain barrel in someone’s yard or working on a district-wide reuse system, you’re building resilience for the planet. 

Start small, offer system upgrades, take a course and become an advocate for these code changes. Partner with builders and developers looking to show off their environmental stewardship and make your town look at stormwater as infrastructure, not runoff. These are conversations we need to start; as plumbers, we have a louder voice than we realize.

This, too, is another aspect of the future of water — not only saving it but using it smarter, reclaiming it and reusing it the right way. With continuous advocacy, the plumbing industry can yet again show the rest of the world how it’s done.