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Planning Tool

Water Storage Planner

Estimate an early-stage water storage target from household size, daily water use, and the number of storage days you want to cover.

Build your water storage estimate

Use simple planning assumptions to establish a starting point before selecting tanks, pumps, or treatment equipment.

Daily water use per person

Choose a starting point or enter a custom planning estimate in gallons per person per day.

How the estimate works

The planner multiplies the number of people by the selected daily water-use assumption, then multiplies that daily demand by the number of storage days.

20 galLow-use starting point
30 galModerate-use starting point
50 galHigher-use starting point
Important: This planner estimates storage volume only. It does not determine whether a water source is adequate, whether water is potable, tank sizing for fire protection, pump or pressure-system requirements, treatment capacity, septic capacity, irrigation demand, livestock demand, or local code requirements. Verify the final system with applicable local requirements and qualified professionals.

Storage is not the same as supply

A storage tank can provide a reserve, but the source feeding it still needs to produce enough water for the project's long-term demand. For rainwater or hauled-water systems, source reliability and refill frequency can be as important as tank volume.