04 May Catch the Rain
Yes, I know it hasn’t rained much lately. But we know that in Austin when it rains it pours. With the cycles of drought and flooding we have in Texas, rainwater harvesting makes a lot of sense.
Raymond Slade, Texas Hill Country hydrologist, says it’s not just drought that is depleting water supply in Austin and the Hill Country. Development, spreading like the wildfires we’ve seen lately, is sucking up aquifers and causing wells to dry up.
Slade, who has observed more than 40 years of weather in this area, notes that we tend to have a hydro-illogical cycle – when rain is plentiful, and the lakes are full and rivers are flowing conservation fades out of consciousness until another drought comes along. To break this cycle, it is necessary to think of water as a precious resource.
Rainwater harvesting can ensure you have enough water when you need it instead of having all that water run off into the streets. Water collection systems come in many sizes with a variety of features – from rain barrels, to tank, to cisterns.
You’ll need to consider your water usage, roof square footage and rainfall when deciding what kind of water collection system to install. The Texas A&M Rainwater Harvesting Calculator can help – http://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/online.html
The City of Austin offers a rebate program: “Rebates of $0.50 per gallon of capacity for non-pressurized rainwater harvesting systems (i.e. rainbarrels) and $1.00 per gallon of capacity for pressurized rainwater harvesting systems (i.e. large cisterns with a pump) are available for qualifying purchases made on or after July 1, 2010. Rebates are limited to no more than half the project cost with a lifetime maximum rebate of $5,000.”
It may not be raining now, but flooding is more common in Austin than drought, so get ready.
Find out more about the City of Austin rainwater harvesting rebates and other water conservation ideas and programs at:
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