Last summer Corbett Water District was down for two days due to a break in the main line. This left farmers who irrigate with municipal water in the lurch, farms like Fiddlehead.
With that in mind, Fiddlehead Farm’s owner, Kate Coppoletta, worked with EMSWCD on a Cooperative Landowner Incentive Program (CLIP) grant to install a rainwater harvesting system. In September 2024, she installed 10 rain collection tanks with the capacity to hold 5,500 gallons each, for a total of 55,000 gallons of rainwater. Fed by the barn roof, the tanks are expected to fill with rainwater three times over the course of the year, providing the farm with 165,000 gallons of off-grid water for their 4.5 acres of vegetables.
“We like that it is a renewable resource and that it isn’t treated with chlorine like the municipal water. Watering plants with treated water isn’t ideal for them, and we have noticed they respond really well to the rainwater,” Kate explained.
Genevieve, owner and manager of Urban Acre Farm in East Portland, had the same thought. “I do like knowing that the rainwater hasn’t been treated with chloramine, which has the potential to negatively affect soil microbes, bacteria and fungi that we’re actively trying to promote. It also saves money.”
Her farm relies on Portland’s city water so she also appreciates the security her captured rainwater provides. She grew up in Florida, where residents were subject to water limitations. Anticipating restrictions coming down the line in the future, she didn’t want to be reliant on city water. “Summers here are dry, and I didn’t want to take it for granted that the water will always be there.”
With tanks that hold 10,000 gallons at a time, Urban Acre Farm captures enough rainwater to meet about 90% of its irrigation needs and is working toward reaching 100%.
Genevieve doesn’t rely on rainwater alone—she combines it with water-saving practices that make every gallon go further. The most important of these is managing soil moisture. By building soil health, mulching deeply, planting cover crops, and using no-till methods, her soil acts like a sponge—holding onto water longer and releasing it slowly to plants. She also monitors soil moisture closely, so she only waters when it’s truly needed.
This approach reduces the farm’s overall water demand, which is what makes it possible for captured rainwater to supply nearly all her irrigation needs. In other words: healthy soil is the secret that allows rainwater harvesting systems to carry the bulk of the load.
You can find both farmers selling at the Montavilla Farmers Market this Fall and Winter.
Both of these projects were made possible by funding from EMSWCD’s Cooperative Landowner Incentive Program.
