Rainwater Harvesting

Did you know that rain water is one of the purest water sources available. The pH is typically between 6.0 and 7.0....7.0 is neutral.
Rainwater is free (except for the one time cost of your collection system)
It will reduce your water bills, thereby saving you money.

A general rule of thumb is 600 gallons of water per inch of rain per thousand square feet of catchment area. A catchment area is your roof or a special roof built over the water tank for the express purpose of filling up the tank.
If your roof area measures 1000 square feet and you get a 1 inch rain then you could collect 600 gallons of water. Even if you harvest just a portion of that 600 gallons with each rainfall, you could save a good amount of money on your waterbill.

Not all that water soaks into the ground and if the rainfall is heavy in a short period of time, then even less of the water soaks into the ground. The runoff goes into the sewer system, thru the waste treatment process, back into your local water supply and eventually back to you....but then you have to pay for it. It was free the first time it landed on your yard, why not keep it to begin with.

Any good size container can be used, 32 gallon plastic trash cans, metal trash cans, 55 gallon food grade barrels. The ready made barrels are available in many of the seed/plant catalogs we all get in the mail....just be careful about the shipping cost. Some sellers will say that shipping will be calculated at the time the items is shipped and your credit card will be charged accordingly......you can end up paying twice the cost of the barrel just on shipping.
You can do a google search for DIY instructions for several different types of systems.

Use only opaque containers to prevent algae from growing.
Cover all openings with screening (window screening is great) to keep mosquitos out. You can also use the Mosquito dunks or granules in the barrel. Screen over the opening where the rain enters keeps leaves and other debris from ending up in your barrel too.
Make sure any overflow from a heavy rain will be directed away from the house foundation.

Check with your city or HOA to see if they have any restrictions concerning the location of the barrels. Some cities encourage harvesting, some have ordinances against it, some don't care as long as you have it screened off from public view....rainwater harvesting is illegal in the state of Colorado but some are trying to get that changed. Some cities will have incentive programs in place to encourage harvesting.

In Texas Senate Bill 2 of the 77th Legislature exempts rainwater harvesting equipment from sales tax. Home Depot or Lowes may not believe you when you buy the parts from them but whereever you buy a complete harvesting system it is tax exempt.
Texas HB645, passed by the 78th Legislature prevents homeowners associations from implementing any new covenants banning outdoor water harvesting measures. They can require that the system be screened or shielded from public view.

I really don't like the bright blue of my barrel standing out in the backyard so I plan on getting it painted soon, also the two more I want to get hooked up this spring.

Another type of rain water harvesting are Rain Gardens. Rain Gardens are very popular in Wisconsin and becoming more common in other areas.
Basically it is a sunken garden area, filled with plants native to your area and mulched....much like a regular garden but this one being 3"-6" below the level of the rest of the yard, it will fill up with rain running off your lawn and over the course of about 24 hours the rain will drain into the soil and be filtered by the soil preventing contaminents such as fertilizers and insecticides from washing off into the sewer and into the main water supply.
It should be at least 10 feet from your house.
A slope of 12% or less is recommended.
It should be in an open area, not under trees.
And can be any size you have room for.
Native flowers and ornamental grasses are strongly recommended since they will not suffer from standing water for 24 hours.
Edge the garden so the mulch and water will not run off when the garden is filled.
Once the plants are established, they will prevent any erosion from occuring and keep the weeds to a minimum.

As with anything involving water, remember SAFETY FIRST. Children looking down into your rain harvesting container could topple in.

Current estimates are that Texans use 782 billion gallons of water on their lawns each year. About half of that is wasted due to run off, watering the sidewalk or because the irrigation system is on a timer, watering your lawn in the middle of a rain storm.
Also, due to the growth in population, it is estimated that by the year 2035 we will have only 85% of the water our population needs. Watering the lawn and garden will be greatly restricted so everyone has a chance of having enough water to cook and clean with or to drink.