Texans Save Their Rain
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 06.14.05
Those of the treehugger community who are especially miffed by a certain Texan might be tempted to cast the entire Lone Star State in the same tainted light. But nothing could be further from the truth. Who knows whether it's the frontier life, or the massive distance to reach infrastructure like water, electricity, or waste collection, but these guys are the mustard...
For example, The Texas Water Development Board has put together an absolutely bang-up document on rainwater harvesting for farmers who are so far off the grid that municipal water is a (Ouch, punny) pipe dream. Thanks to the folks at Metaefficient, there's a PDF copy available online.
Inside, you'll find instruction on everything from rooftop collection to storage tanks, to filtration for shower use, or even drinking. Other interesting tidbits include a water budget for indoor and landscape use, and over 15 pages of actual case studies from around Texas and the world, so you can check you own setup against something. For anyone already living off the grid, or considering it, this would be an indispensable guide for your water needs. :: Rain Harvesting in Texas
Even those of us on the grid can take advantage of the free water that falls onto our house, driveway or land, using it to flush toilets, and water plants or lawns! Not only will this conserve precious ground water for things like drining, but will reduce the amount of water washing into storm sewers, and the associated lawn chemicals, debris and eroded soil that would be carried along for the ride.