THanks for the article. Very encouraging. I'm going to be installing some rainwater harvesting tanks this year and am kicking myself that I didn't have it set up in time to capture all the rain this spring.

I love my rainwater . My hair is soft and my drinking water is delicious and you need less of it on your plants. I am just glad that my 20,000 gal tanks are FULL.

Mara, who installed your system? Do you have any recommendations? Also, I'm assuming you have a
potable water setup for use both in and outside?

I am extremely interested in rainwater harvesting, living on the Texas/New Mexico border where we only get 9 inches of rain per year, and am glad to see this topic pop up in GW.

I only wish I had the room on my small urban lot for a big tank like that!

Brad Lancaster's books are the gold standard in rainwater harvesting information, and recently I've been enjoying his youtube videos. He's a character! Which doesn't come through in his books, really.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brad Lancaster youtube

mrs.wiggley, I don't know how far you are from Dripping Springs, but Richard at Tank Town on US290 installed our collection system in 2010. I believe he was one of the earliest proponents of rainwater harvesting in Central Texas and is best contacted by phone.

Our system in Leander uses a 22,000 gallon tank to provide for all household needs of a family of 5. The tank has supplied all household usage for about 2.5 - 3 years.

We are now considering collecting water for gardening from our long sloped driveway (filtered through a natural bog filter, for lack of a better term), from an outbuilding roof, and possibly even the roof of our main tank (that's 500 SF area!). We're very passionate about harvesting, but fear we're becoming rainwater hoarders!

trussin...thanks for the info. I met Richard many years ago when he was just starting out. At that time I lived in Austin. Not sure how far away he will go and//or how that would affect costs but I'll surely give him a call. Sounds like you are also using a potable system. Is there much maintenance on equipment?. What type of cleaning/filtering system did you get...the ultraviolet light thingy?

we have 4 rain barrels so far, trying to get there!
Tally HO!

I used The Rainman , also in Dripping Springs. He was good then, but I am out of touch with him and I don't know if he is still doing it. He did the rainwater system at West Cave Preserve. That is a beaute.. His son I think is doing it also There were like three people when I put my system in 2000. We have a uncollected front porch roof we are thinking of putting in a non portable tank. We might make one. God they are pricy now. I should go and re paint those tanks.

Back then there were only three people doing it. Now there are OODLES of people. Pick up one of those GREEN services catalogs in Austin and I bet you will find someone out your way, wherever that is..

Do you think anyone would come out to Fayette County, TX?

A real good guy who installs many kinds of water tanks that he fabricates himself is based in Houston but does travel pretty far. You can find Dean at 832-618-2032.

Yes, ours is potable. Beyond a 200 gallon first flush, we have a filter board that consists of sediment, carbon, and UV filters. The "eliminator" tank and trunk line are emptied between storm events. Sediment filter is replaced every 3 to 4 weeks. Carbon filter is replaced every three months and the UV bulb replaced annually. That's the extent of maintenance. I tend to drag out the emptying of first flush if there's no rain on the horizon since the garden and landscaping love that dirty water. I currently empty by hand and am looking for an inline hose pump or similar.
I agree with wantonamara - there are quite a few companies or individuals dipping into this business, and the cost for tanks is high. I'd interview several companies several times and look for someone with passion and a track record.

WOW, you really do have the protections on. My system was designed in '97. I suspect that theses things change through the years. It sounds like the Rainwater world has gotten more cautious and there is money to be made on caution.. I have the leaf trap, first much smaller flush that I empty after every storm(need to empty it), two micro filters that I clean when they clog and stop working, and a UV bulb that we no longer use. We have one spare in storage but have not put it on in about 5 years.I have never gotten sick.

I am not as phobic about germs as many. I know of a Doctor who has used his rainwater system of over 40 years and other than the first 4 years of his Childs life, he has never used them. He believes that the immune system is a muscle that needs exercising and he tested the waters the first decade and found everything copacetic. He did install the system for his child because he was willing to test his developed immune system but not test an undeveloped one. But he felt that his child's immune system was very developed from playing in the mud after the 4 years it took the bulb to burn out. He was talking at a symposium at a green builders conference that I attended in '97, and at that point he had been using Rainwater for ALL his needs for 30 years. His child has no known allergies which is a sign of a non exercised immune system .

I grew up in Thailand (50's) and we lived off of rainwater and water collected out of streams, BUT the cisterns were uncovered and things could grow. The water often looked like tea because of tannic acid in the run off. We boiled the water for 20 minutes there. My mother did get dysentery more than once while in the jungle on a dig (archeologist and guide) We children never got sick. I guess our immune systems were nigh on bullet proof having grown up there. I have no allergies either. Allergies are a decease of the developed western world. We are TOO clean for our own good. (said like a grown up dirty hippy).

wantonamara, those are fascinating anecdotes!

Opinions on the cleanliness of rainwater really run the gamut, don't they?

I recently listened to a radio interview with a local business (that installed a neighbor's tank for nonpotable use). He advocated flushing the first 20 to 30 minutes of rain for potable use. If we followed his guidelines, we'd collect very little water for household usage!

The most common query from first timer's at our house is whether or not it's safe to drink rainwater. Even upon describing in great detail the "overkill" of our filtration system, some aren't convinced.

At the opposite end, a dear friend recently battling breast cancer brought containers to fill with rainwater as she felt it was the healthiest water option during chemo.

I have some germaphobe tendencies, but I seldom think twice about the cleanliness of my rainwater (even when I had to remove a dead mouse from the tank). I've not had the water tested, but it's crystal clear, has no taste, and we don't suffer intestinal or stomach issues.

That said, I'll probably keep replacing the UV bulb ;)

I was going to ask you if you had joined the Dead Squirrel Club yet , but I didn't want to gerouse you out. I have lived through the dead squirrel and a dead bird in the roof washer. I think the dead squirrel happened with the bulb still working, but the dead bird didn't. I am still alive.

I pay no mind to the people who don't want to drink my water. They don't have too.

Flushing 20- 30 minutes! Thats just nuts. As I said, a lot of money to be made on being overly cautious.

I have another story. I have a russian poet friend that I met here in Austin years ago and I went and visited him in this very odd town on the Delaware river called Lordville NY. The best I can describe it is that it is a colonial ghost town that some houses are rebuilt and inhabited by alternative types on a budget and others are being taken over by mother nature's choice of vines and invasive plants..

My Russian friend had hollowed out a area under his leaning house by a stream and had a hose curled in the hollow and a small pump for delivery upstairs. He was the last house down hill , nearly on the river bank., The whole town with substandard septics was up hill. I was glad for my bottle of mineral water in my car. I was planning to spend the night but thirst drove me out. Also the gas space heater by several 2' piles of books and the narrow star way to the guest room and an exit window over a cliff made me very leery. I have my limits.

Mara, you've had lots of interesting adventures! I love hearing them ... :-)

Interesting stuff.... just wondering if you avoid algae growth in your large systems by storing in total darkness or some other way? Many of the ~50 or 60 gallon tanks made for residential/downspout use don't seem opaque enough to keep things from growing.

One other footnote: several municipalities and water utilities around the state offer rebates on rain collection systems. Some are not worth the hassle, but programs are still being tuned, so may we worth a look if you live in one of those places and are considering. Austin, Allen, and Plano are ones I recall, but there are several others.

Yes, light is bad. No algae growth at all. I mixed up a bunch of really dark paint that I got from Habitat for Humanity and did three coats to black out the light further and then I did three coats of a pale light green almost white to whiten up the dark to help keep the water cooler.

Yes, Ragna. This guy is a character. Famous (or was in Russia in the 60's and 70's) but some what definitely out of the norm. He was banished by Breshnev and called himself Dostoeyevshy's Cowboy.

Dave the Barrel Man in south San Antonio sells the big square food grade barrels that have a metal cage around them. They come with a spigot at the Base of the barrel and a hole on the top for water capture. For use for lawn watering. I have a friend who has several of them in use.

We harvest enough (almost) to keep our plants wet. This first tank is the newest one. It isn't as high as it needs to be, but we plan to fix that when it empties. Hopefully, it never will, but I know that's wishful thinking!

This second one is higher and it collects rainwater AND the condensation from the air conditioner! Now I don't feel so bad about running the AC. We don't drink it or bathe in it, just use it on plants, so we don't care if it gets algae. I do use it to refill the pond... Maybe that's why I can't get rid of the algae in the pond...

The big one was $75 or so on Craig's list and holds 275 gallons. The little one was free and holds 55 gallons.

Thank you, coping. I lost this thread and just found your response.