Rainwater Harvesting - HB 645 2003

[love Lantana]

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/78 ... 00645F.htm
texas state law prohibits HOAs from not allowing rainwater harvesting or composting

[Pipeline]

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/78R/billtext/html/HB00645F.htm
texas state law prohibits HOAs from not allowing rainwater harvesting or composting

E (1) and (2) are key for Lantana, which doesn't exist within a municipality, nor only being about 1577 (based on the Rayzor mineral lease) acres, and not 4000, when can we start seeing some of those pretty blue rain catching 55 gallon drums under some gutter downspouts?

[Uther]

Yes, and 55 gallons do go *so* far in watering during a hot Texas summer...

[Pipeline]

Yes, and 55 gallons do go *so* far in watering during a hot Texas summer...

Simple mathematics, Pendragon.
1" of rain produces 0.6 gallons of rainwater per square foot. An oh, say, 2000 sq. ft. roof could produce, let's see 2000 x .6, hmm,hmm, uhh, 1200 gallons per inch of rain. This area gets ,normally, about, uhmm, 36 inches a year. Times 1200 gallons is 43000 gallons a year. Problem is storage. Most of the rain comes when we don't need it. Let's run it from our 55 gallon barrels into the pool. That will hold it. Oooppps, saltwater pool, don't want to water the Hibiscus with saltwater, and the kids frown in August with their floaties, and no water in the pool. So, we need several 55 gallon drums, pumping into 4-5 10000 gallon above ground tanks, spaced aesthetically around the yard. 43000 gallons ain't a lot, but, it helps. Unless of course the State decides to claim rainwater as "waters of the State".

Being an investor in rainwater collection companies ( my investments in those companies will climb, the closer a gallon of drinking water approaches the price of a six pack), I am always on the hunt for new ideas concerning rainwater collection storage. Back to the days of cisterns? Raised foundations with water bladders beneath. Individual water towers. HOA's will love it.

I may be an O&G nut, but I absolutely love the free flowing concept of water.

[Common Sense Al]

I may be an O&G nut, but I absolutely love the free flowing concept of water.

Wow. Pipeline is a conservationist! Who would have thunk it?

[Uther]

Problem is storage.

'Nuff said.

[love Lantana]

I am going through the Denton County Master gardners program to become a master gardner, last tuesdays class was about rainwater harvesting. Guy who taught it is a HUGE rainwater guy does amazing things here in the US as well as third world countries in rainwater harvesting. His house runs solely on rainwater. 3,500 gallons-from 1"rain is enough to run his house for 2 months. To listen to him to talk about was amazing.

[Common Sense Al]

I am going through the Denton County Master gardners program to become a master gardner, last tuesdays class was about rainwater harvesting. Guy who taught it is a HUGE rainwater guy does amazing things here in the US as well as third world countries in rainwater harvesting. His house runs solely on rainwater. 3,500 gallons-from 1"rain is enough to run his house for 2 months. To listen to him to talk about was amazing.

Nice. Does he have half-flush toilets?

[JKTex]

A good friend has a boat/performance shop near Austin who built a new building a few years ago. On that side of HWY 71 it would have been near impossible, and extremely expensive to pip water to the new place. He has I think a 2000 gallon tank and harvests the rain water to fill it to supply the building. They don't drink it, but it's used for everything else. Unfortunately, during the hot, dry spells, he has to buy water and have it trucked but it's still cheaper.

The idea for landscape irrigation has always intrigued me, but I haven't found a feasible way or place to catch and store, then get the water to where I need it without a lot of hassle. I still may try it in small scale and see if I can make it work without using pumps. It's certainly interesting, and the rain is there for the taking, and I think better for landscape than treated municipal water.

[Pipeline]

Problem is storage.

'Nuff said.

Oh, contrare. Rainwater collection storage is the issue on most residential lots, but one possibility I haven't worked out yet. 2 water meters at the curb, one in, and one out, back to the city. Collect the water in the unattractive blue 55 gallon drums from the downspouts, and auto pumps, pump it back for storage with the city. You get a credit from the city for water you return. Problems: Ripping up yards and streets for the new return pipes and meters, and how big would residential pumps need to be to get the water back up to the top of the water towers, or reservoirs. Of course in a reservoir, the USACE could blow all we return out the floodgates if they wished.

I'm on it.

[Pipeline]

A good friend has a boat/performance shop near Austin who built a new building a few years ago. On that side of HWY 71 it would have been near impossible, and extremely expensive to pip water to the new place. He has I think a 2000 gallon tank and harvests the rain water to fill it to supply the building. They don't drink it, but it's used for everything else. Unfortunately, during the hot, dry spells, he has to buy water and have it trucked but it's still cheaper.

I got interested in rainwater collection from the CoServe monthly rag, about a guy near Austin, 12 years ago. He Could not drill for water and the city couldn't provide it. He had several acres so started building 2000 sq. ft. metal sheds for the collection (with asphalt shingles you need to filter out the grainy debris). He ended up with so much extra water he didn't need, so he started installing large 2000 gallon round fish tanks under the collection roofs and now makes his living harvesting and selling farm raised catfish.
Anybody with acreage and cash can do it, but the challenge is HOA's and Lantana sized lots. Storage, as Uther says, "nuff said".

Go figga.

[love Lantana]

Problem is storage.

'Nuff said.

Oh, contrare. Rainwater collection storage is the issue on most residential lots, but one possibility I haven't worked out yet. 2 water meters at the curb, one in, and one out, back to the city. Collect the water in the unattractive blue 55 gallon drums from the downspouts, and auto pumps, pump it back for storage with the city. You get a credit from the city for water you return. Problems: Ripping up yards and streets for the new return pipes and meters, and how big would residential pumps need to be to get the water back up to the top of the water towers, or reservoirs. Of course in a reservoir, the USACE could blow all we return out the floodgates if they wished.

I'm on it.

you cant mix your collected water with city water without filtration and following local guidelines.

[Pipeline]

you cant mix your collected water with city water without filtration and following local guidelines.

I would hope the city already contends with that.
I did say there were some "bugs" to work out.

[love Lantana]

you cant mix your collected water with city water without filtration and following local guidelines.

I would hope the city already contends with that.
I did say there were some "bugs" to work out.

ha! funny 'bugs' to be worked out

[JKTex]

I've seen livestock shelters with gutters that feed troughs in areas that can't or don't have much in the way of stock tanks or water sources. Like in the hill country where cattle are run on rocky mountain side terrain. In cases like that it's cheap and a no brainer. As long as there's rain to keep the water fresh.