Muskegon, MI rainwater: 27,882 gallons off a roof

Muskegon, MI: gallons off the roof each year

27,882gallons a year

That is a 1,500 sq ft asphalt roof under Muskegon, MI's normal 35.1 inches of rain, about 795 gallons for every inch that falls.

In Muskegon, MI a single barrel does most of the work. Storms come often enough that a small tank refills before it runs dry, and a bigger one would mostly sit full.

Rainfall: NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, the Muskegon Co Ap station (4.0 mi away). Muskegon, MI ranks 34th wettest of the 90 cities covered in Michigan.

Month by month in Muskegon

Month	Rain (in)	Off the roof (gal)	Garden shortfall (gal)
Jan	2.42	1,923
Feb	2.11	1,677
Mar	2.40	1,908
Apr	3.47	2,758	110
May	3.38	2,686	121
Jun	3.05	2,424	162
Jul	2.75	2,186	199
Aug	3.10	2,464	156
Sep	3.26	2,591	136
Oct	3.80	3,020	69
Nov	2.92	2,321
Dec	2.42	1,923

Oct is the wettest month (3.80 in, 3,020 gal off the roof); Feb the driest (2.11 in). Garden shortfall is what a 200 sq ft vegetable bed needs beyond the rain that lands on it, April to October.

Which tank size is worth it in Muskegon

Best fit: one 55-gallon barrel, which delivers about 760 gallons to the garden in a normal year (79.8% of its need).

If you buy one, a 55-gallon barrel with a downspout diverter is the whole job. Check that the overflow points away from your foundation, because most of Muskegon's roof water will pass straight through it.

Tank	Water used (gal/yr)	Spills over (gal/yr)
55 gal	760	25,967
110 gal	760	25,967
165 gal	760	25,967
275 gal	760	25,967
550 gal	760	25,967
1,000 gal	760	25,967
1,500 gal	760	25,967
2,500 gal	760	25,967
5,000 gal	760	25,967

Simulated storm by storm through a normal year using the station's count of days with 0.1 in or more of rain each month.

Is rainwater collection legal in Michigan?

No rainwater harvesting regulations

From the 2015 (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report 24347); not yet re-checked against current law, so check with your state water agency before building anything large. Source