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Rain Water Harvesting
Summer is here and if the grass on my website lawn were real, it would need a lot of water! Rain water harvesting is a great way to supplement your irrigation. If you have not thought about it yet, here are the facts.
Austin Water Utility Water Conservation Program Staff Engineer Bill Hoffman commented that overall Texas is reaching its limits for conventional freshwater supply. For example, the Texas Water Development Board estimates that the average annual recharge to our aquifers is approximately 5.7 million acre-feet a year (5.1 billion gallons a day), but Texas currently pumps 9.0 to 10.0 million acre-feet of groundwater a year. This has resulted in dramatic drops in aquifer levels in many areas of Texas, especially West Texas. If we keep this pattern going, it's easy to see where we will be. In addition, cost for new water and wastewater facilities continues to escalate. He says there are many ways to help the cause including: Water efficient toilets, Low flow fixtures, Energy star appliances, A/C condensate collection, Xeriscape planting materials, Grey water reuse, Irrigate efficiently / Micro irrigation and Rain water harvesting to name a few. Be sure to plan for Grey water or A/C condensate collection in the planning stages of your project. Additionally, in a recent study by the American Water Works Association, from 10%-15% of our water usage in the homes examined in the study is due to leaks, so please check your faucets, toilets, hose bibs and swimming pools!
Installing a rainwater barrel is simple on an existing home with gutters and you can get a rebate from the city for the purchase of the barrel. One hundred square feet of your roof will fill a 60 gallon barrel with only one inch of rain and will easily supply water to beds and plants. However, any rainwater collection system will not support a whole lawn. If you are building a new home, a great way to create a sustainable water system would be to collect rain water for your home use; irrigate your beds, gardens and lawn with a Grey water re-use and water your lawn only when needed with city water. Your will be pleased with the sweet smell of a rain water shower and the sweet smell of your guilt-free, beautiful, summer garden.
Contact me if you would like more information on Water Conservation!
Green Tip:
What is green building?
Green building is a catch-all term to describe efficient, healthy, comfortable and low maintenance building practices. There are so many systems, materials and ideas that the process can seem overwhelming. The basics of green building have less to do with these kinds of mechanical, wall and roof systems you choose and more to do with how your home is designed. The most important Green Building concept is to build a home suited for your land by shading from the sun and capturing breezes. Become familiar with terminologies and concepts by visiting the Austin Energy Green Building Program website often. This will help you in hiring the right Green Professionals for your project.
Check out our website for more helpful tips!
Contact Cammi Klier at 512.330.9309
or cklier@cdshomedesign.com
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