May 19th, 2008 · No Comments

“I’ve not had to turn on our sprinkler system,” Grimes said, adding that the organic garden is thriving on the fresh water. “It’s unequivocal. It’s amazing,” she said.

Whitfield says he generally advises his clients, who come from all over the country, to buy “the biggest tank that you can fit on your property” (and can afford). They’ll be pleased with how much rainwater they can capture once all the gutters of the house are tied into the system, he said.

For instance, customers can expect 10 gallons of runoff for every square foot of roof, he said. So two rain barrels, comprising maybe 120 gallons of capacity, can quickly fill up and overflow, whereas a large tank can recapture a much higher percentage of the rainwater. Then the owner can store adequate water for use on gardens or inside the house, depending on the extent of the system the homeowner installs.

In more Northern states, the rain capture could be even greater, given the higher rainfall, though the need to irrigate declines in wetter climates. Rain collection systems have been most popular in arid states such as Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

But vendors are popping up even in rain-rich areas like the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest, according to the Austin-based American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA), which started in 2001.

“Rainwater harvesting is not new obviously, but there’s been a new wave of interest in it…Membership has really picked up. We’re at over 300 (members) right now” compared with just over 200 members a year ago, said Sharon Mineo of Water PR, which manages the ARCSA.

Customers are both urban and rural, where agriculture makes high water demands.

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