An outline of principles for designing rainwater harvesting systems was designed by Brad Lancaster.
- Begin with long and thoughtful observation.
- Start at the top (highpoint) of your watershed and work your way down.
- Start small and simple.
- Slow, spread, and infiltrate the flow of water.
- Always plan an overflow route, and manage that overflow as a resource.
- Maximize living and organic groundcover.
- Maximize beneficial relationships and efficiency by “stacking functions.”
- Continually reassess your system: the “feedback loop.”