Rainwater Harvesting Systems 

A typical above-ground 30,000 gallon system for potable use costs between $0.95 - $1.40 a gallon. Smaller systems can sometimes cost between $2 to $3 a gallon. Factors that affect price are type of soil for excavation/trenching, collection area square footage, distance between tank and house, tank pad topography and type of pad for tank.

We install tanks a small as 10,000 gallons and as large as 300,000 gallons. We can install tanks above and below ground as well as inside the concrete foundation of a house/structure.

A typical 30,000-gallon tank that is 7’ 2” high requires a 33 ft. diameter sand pad or 28 ft. concrete pad. If a 30,000-gallon tank is desired but space is limited, the diameter of the tank can decrease while height increases, but this adds additional cost due to tank engineering specifications.

Standing Seam Metal, Corrugated Metal, Asphalt / Bitumen / Composition Shingle, Concrete or Clay Tile, Solar Panels, Slate tile, painted tile. Materials to avoid for potable rainwater use: Cedar Shake, Copper, Lead, Biocides (check to see if levels are low enough not to cause harm to plants and other vegetation) When in doubt, collect a water sample and send it to a lab to know what chemicals (if any) are present in your water. The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) provides a list of approved roof coatings.

Our systems when fitted with appropriate gutter covers and our automatic first-flush device incur very low maintenance. Maintenance is usually 2-3 times a year. This includes changing filters every couple of months and changing an ultraviolet light annually.

Different counties and cities in central Texas have different tax breaks and or rebate programs. Click on a locality for more information. [ hyperlinks or something here for more info on each one] --- City of Austin, City of San Marcos, LCRA Rebates, Hays County, City of New Braunfels, City of Horseshoe Bay, Kerr County, Rainwater Incentive Programs In the state of Texas, all rainwater collection equipment and supplies is sales tax exempt. Section 151.355 of the Texas tax Code exempts rainwater harvesting equipment and supplies from state sales tax. To claim this exemption, the purchaser must furnish a Tax Exemption Application Form 01-339 to the supplier at the time of purchase. City of Austin - capacity-based rainwater collection rebate program Applies to any size rainwater collection system Structured as follows: $0.50 per gallon for non-pressurized systems (no pumps), not to exceed 50% of system cost $1.00 per gallon for pressurized systems (with pump), not to exceed 50% of system cost Total maximum lifetime rebate amount of $5,000 per site. City of San Marcos - capacity-based rainwater harvesting system rebate program Applies to any size rainwater collection system Structured as follows: $0.50 per gallon of storage capacity for non-pressurized systems (no pumps) $1.00 per gallon of storage capacity for pressurized systems (with pump) Rebate cannot exceed 50% of total system cost The maximum lifetime rebate amount is determined by your water meter size: 5/8 x3/4″ meters (residential) the maximum rebate is $5,000 1″ water meters the max rebate is $10,000 1.5″ water meters the max rebate is $15,000 2″ meters and larger the max rebate is $20,000 City of Sunset Valley – maybe later?? – too small community City of Round Rock – too far for me, ???? LCRA Rebates Rebates up to $600 per residential property $0.25 per gallon of storage capacity for a non-potable system, 100 gallons or greater, up to $600 or until sizing capacity is met, whichever is less System must be for non-potable use System must be 100 gallons are greater You will need to submit receipts and photos of the upgraded equipment with the application. Applicant must be a LCRA domestic water use customer or an eligible water customer of LCRA: Aqua Texas (Barton Creek Lakeside Utilities) Aqua Texas (Rivercrest Water System) Buena Vista Water System City of Burnet City of Cedar Park City of Cottonwood Shores City of Granite Shoals City of Horseshoe Bay City of Lago Vista City of Leander City of Marble Falls City of Pflugerville Corix Utilities Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation Hays County WCID #1 Hays County WCID #2 Reunion Ranch WCID Hidden Valley Subdivision Cooperative Hurst Creek MUD Inverness Point Water System Jonestown Water Supply Corporation Kingsland Water Supply Corporation Lakeway MUD #1 Lazy Nine MUD 1-A Sail Haven Water System Llano County MUD #1 Loop 360 Water Supply Corporation Pecan Utilities Company Peninsula Bluffs PK-RE Development Company Senna Hills MUD Travis County MUD #10 Travis County MUD #12 Travis County MUD #4 Travis County WCID #17 Travis County WCID #18 Travis County WCID #20 Travis County WCID Point Venture Village of Briarcliff West Travis County PUA Windermere Oaks Water Supply Corporation Hays County Minimum storage capacity: 2,500 gallons $100 fee reimbursement for new development permitted through Hays County Development Services Property Tax Reduction: Taxable value is reduced by the rainwater collection system construction costs. (Available from Hays County or other participating taxing entities.) Hays County application approval Annual application & approval for tax exemption (required by law) submitted to the Central Appraisal District City of New Braunfels Rain barrels and cisterns should be elevated at least 6 inches off the ground If a cistern is installed, it must have a first flush system designed to divert and discard the first 10 gallons for every 1000 square foot of rain catchment area Rebate of $0.50 per gallon Maximum rebate of $500 which is credited to utility account City of Horseshoe Bay $250 rebate as a one-time offer covering purchase or rain collection equipment Must receive approval from your property owner association’s Architectural Control Committee Systems above and below 400 gallons of storage have different permitting processes Stricter limits on tank placement, number or tanks, and rainwater use Kerr County Eligible applicant is reimbursed up to $100 when they provide proof of purchase of rainwater catchment system equipment Each address is eligible once per calendar year The Upper Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA) has specific requirements which include: The program is open to any individual or business with a verified address within Kerr County Proof of purchase for rainwater catchment system equipment must be dated within the last 12 months The rainfall catchment system equipment for which a rebate is requested shall be utilized within Kerr County, Texas, and not elsewhere The equipment for which the applicant requests a rebate will be used as part of a rainwater catchment system.

Our technology uses a low voltage controller than can manage different parts of a rainwater collection system without any human intervention. The controller has features that include the following: Automatic first flush – A rain sensor communicates with an automatic valve to automatically flush the dirty water that initially is washed off a roof. Configurable setting from small to large flush amount improves water quality. Simple design eliminates maintenance and the need for extra equipment. Other systems have first-flush tanks that have to be maintained frequently in order for them to work properly. First flush tanks have their drawbacks during hard rain events. Automatic draining - Automatic valve automatically dries out system after the rain event. No and smelly standing water in pipes Water Protection - Automatic shutoff feature that prevents draining an entire tank accidently, Controller can learn water usage behaviors and adapts to site usage patterns Staging – controller can manage transfer pump if main rainwater tanks are higher than structure, can accommodate single pump system or duplex pumping system, simplifies collection from multiple/complex roof surfaces, Main tank(s) can be hidden, placed remotely, or even at different elevations Remote - Controller can be powered by small solar power array for “off-grid” systems Recapture – controller can recapture all of the remaining water in downspouts rather than just draining this water at the end of a rain event. This water at the end of a rain event is the cleanest water to collect. Automatic backup valve – controller can manage an automatic valve to switch over to a 2ndary water source when the water in the rainwater tank is almost empty.

We generally recommend 7,500 gallons of storage per person to get through long dry periods in central Texas. A family of three would want to have around 22,000 gallons of storage for household use.

660 gallons can be collected for every 1,000 sq. ft of footprint of a structure. A one story 3,000 sq. ft. home can collect 1,980 gallons for every inch of rain where a two story 3,000 sq. ft home will only collect 990 gallons.