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Save Water; Save Money

Rainwater harvesting is great for your yard and your wallet.

With the economy still suffering, many Texans are looking for any and all means of saving money. Though the winter months require less watering for lawn and garden, it's not too early to plan for spring by considering options that will save you both time and money.

Rainwater harvesting is the capture and storage of rainwater for later use. It is a great way to help conserve our existing water resources, decrease the risk of run-off, erosion, contaminated surface water and flooding all while reducing your utility bills.

Rainwater is ideal for watering your lawn, plants and vegetable gardens because it is free of salts, disinfectant by-products, harmful minerals and other contaminants. Proper treatment, such as UV or ozone, can even make rainwater into safe drinking water. With in-home systems, it can extend the life of appliances by preventing scales from forming on them.

Professionally manufactured harvesting storage containers are available on the market in a range of sizes - from barrels that are a few gallons to tanks that can hold thousands of gallons. But, you don't need to spend a lot of money to capture your own rainwater.

Harvesting systems can be as simple as a bucket placed under the downspout of your home gutters or a children's wading pool. Some cities even offer incentives to installing harvesting systems.

Though we always hope for plentiful rain in the Brazos basin, consider a home rain harvesting system. It will save you a few dollars each month while conserving our greatest natural resource.