Abstract: Water-based fire protection systems are provided that enable water conservation during testing and maintenance and manage water use by the system. Water reclamation aspects allow for cost savings in operation, testing, and maintenance of the system and reduce environmental impact. For example, the present systems and operating methods afford water collection aspects, water conservation through reuse, sustainability, and a reduction in energy necessary for testing. The water collection and reuse features can be part of a water conservation system that is integrated with a fire protection system during installation or can be coupled to a preexisting fire protection system.