May 19th, 2008 · No Comments

She got into the rainwater biz after speaking to garden groups and learning that many gardeners were looking to improve their water conservation. So she studied for and received a certification as a professional irrigator and took a course in rainwater catchment. She’s qualified to install any size system, but prefers to work with the entry-level market and enjoys “getting people excited about it.”

It’s a niche she knows intimately, having set up several barrels around her own house to serve multiple gardening endeavors including a rain garden that’s kept moist by overflow from one barrel.

Big or small, either system has its merits, says Jack Schultz, an officer and spokesman for the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA).

A rain barrel may be all that someone can afford, and even though it’s only snaring a fraction of the potential roof runoff, it counts as a move in the right direction. The large system, however, is the obvious choice for someone building a new house or a commercial project who wants to catch all the water they can, says Schultz, an engineer in Santa Clara, Calif.

So the scale of the project, that is a question for the customer. But while rainwater experts have differing opinions on how to size a rainwater system, they all agree on this truism: When it rains, it pours. Their customers are happy and business is good.

Mortenson was recently besieged at a green home show by customers wanting to buy her showcase 60-gallon rain barrel. Luckily she’d brought a few dozen along in a trailer. At $130, it was not the cheapest nor the most expensive rainbarrel being sold at the Plano Green Expo, but it had good green credentials. The barrels were once used to ship olives and came with all the necessary components, a spigot at the bottom, a mosquito screen at the top, a hose to connect to the gutter system and Mortenson’s specially crafted diverter that attaches to the gutter downspout.

Says Whitfield who estimates that his phone calls have doubled this spring compared to a year ago: “People are catching onto the green movement and are realizing the benefits of rainwater harvesting.’’

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5