Water collection and use in Texas

BTPost is my dad, and he would have loved to help me noodle this one out. I can feel his spirit straining to give me advice as I type this.

Looking at 5-acre plot metal roof. So could I try and do rain catch for most water needs and use one of
these under the kitchen sink for the drinkable water?

Is there a way to easily switch back to city water when my stored water runs out?

 

Your father was very respected here.

 

I'm sure your dad would have things to say about the topic that you are enquiring about.

One may query whether it is possible, whether it is practicable, and whether it is legal to do so. It would be sensible to do your due diligence and discover what the legal and code compliance requirements are, in the jurisdiction where the water harvesting, storage and reticulation systems are to be installed and operated.

This reference may give you a starting point for further research. StackPath ( I have no relationship with Pioneer Water Tanks of any kind and I don't vouch for the accuracy of the information provided in the reference cited....you would be well advised to get specific guidance from your county's local authority.)

You may not be able to use common piping for both owner rain harvested water, and local reticulated water supply by local government, or commercial water supply vendors. Consult the local regulatory oracles on what is , and what is not permissible, and most importantly, what is required.

You may possibly have to have separate pipe lines, with separate faucets for each type of water supply.

A possible solution (though check for compliance) may be to use the vendor supplied water to top up the water tank on an as required basis until rain harvesting replenishes the water tanks sufficiently.

Just be aware, that some water supply vendors may levy charges for actual quantity of water supplied, and a separate charge covering a portion of the costs of maintaining the infrastructure for supplying the water, whether actually used or not. Further charges may be levied for the disposal of waste water, regardless of its source if the public waste water system is used, rather than disposed of in a septic system on one's own property (regulations and compliance rules may apply). Reducing the usage of reticulated water may save some money, but it may not reduce the charges levied for defraying the infrastructure costs of providing the water, even if little water was actually used. Checking meters is a cost that is incurred to the vendor, even if the meter hasn't clicked over more than 1 gallon.

I hope that my reply has provided food for thought, even if it may elude definitive answers to the questions asked. Cheers and best wishes from Chell.

Addenda: (The following links were accessed November 26, 2023)
https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/shells/RainwaterHarvesting.pdf

https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publicat.../doc/RainwaterHarvestingManual_3rdedition.pdf

Is Rainwater Harvesting Illegal in Texas? | Take Care of Texas

Rainwater Harvesting FAQ

NB: There is an online series of web based tutorials which may be useful in planning a domestic rainwater harvesting system: tag based on what is being viewed. We filter the output of wp_title() a bit - see agriflex_filter_wp_title() in functions.php. --> <title> In-home Use Videos | Rainwater Harvesting

https://twinontour.com/diy-rainwater-catchment-system/

Rainwater Harvesting Regulations Map
(You will be pleased to know that HOA's in Texas cannot prohibit home owners from harvesting, storing and using rainwater on their own properties )

 

Glad to see you posting! Your pa was a fine fellow with good insight.

Chell brings out some excellent points. I would add the issue of debris build-up during dry periods that could lead to contamination of drinking water.

My personal thoughts are to use a completely separate plumbing system to prevent any chance of cross-contamination...either direction.

 

Everything on your side of the water-meter is yours (you install and maintain it) and what the city water folks don't know won't hurt them and is none of their business...as long as there is no contamination of the city water system. Having said that, I would recommend that you use different lines, filters and faucets.

PS How are you and the family doing, especially your Mother?

 

Agreed: Maintaining ongoing safe potability of drinking water is important in all seasons. A drowned bird or rodent floating in a full tank is as likely to be a health hazard as might be leaves and other debris composting at the bottom of a near empty tank.

Agreed: However, that is likely to be a mandatory regulatory requirement. Also, domestic rain harvested plumbing for domestic potable use may require the same standard of installation by professionally qualified and accredited plumbers, as is required for public reticulated water supply usage.

DIY livestock rain harvested water water storage and delivery systems, may perhaps be tolerated, whereas DIY installation of rain harvested water for human usage may not be tolerated (unless one is also a professionally qualified and accredited plumber).

I would suggest that keeping schtum about a domestic rain harvesting potable water supply system installation that is not regulatory compliant is a judgement call: Balancing the cost of installing a system that is regulatory compliant, against the cost of a non compliant system if found out by the relevant regulatory body (such costs might include fines, and/or having the systems re-installed by properly qualified and accredited tradespersons). How good are your relationships with present and future neighbours? Although that HOA with persnickety snooping members may not be able to prevent oneself from installing a rainwater harvesting system on one's own property...they sure as hell can inform on the member, making sure that the relevant regulatory body is aware of the installation, inviting further investigation and enforcement.

 

Would expect it to at least require a back flow prevention device to both systems. Om Wouldn't want to overfill catchment system from city water or allow catchment system into city system. Lived in El Paso and the first of the rain often contained a lot of dust as well as dust on the roof. Would tend to clog sand filter. Not enough rain there to really work either. 6000 gal. A year with 3500 of that falling in a 3 month rainy season of downpours.TKO exas is so big, far west is semi desert, north grass lands, far east almost tropical. Ceder Park has about 36 in per climate info, but has a coupe peaks fo about 4 in and a lot of 2 in months. Without well or a large catchment area, would almost have to hook up to municipal system for a dependable supply in dry periods. Looks like in your area, 1000 sq ft of roof area would give you about 1000 gal in Jan and 3000 in June. Below is a calculator for rainwater capture, Ceder Park is listed in pull down for location.

Rainwater Harvesting Calculator, Formulas, and Equations

Local codes may be a pain, but they are often based on somebodies horrible experience. National codes seem to be worse, can be based on a bad experience by someone in a totally different set of conditions. Sometimes if no one else in the area is doing it there is a reason. Find old timer with a catchment system and not only pick his brains, take him home and show him your roof.

I have seen some systems that divert some given amount to waste, then direct water to cistern. Old timers used a small tank, 25 gal or so, with a float that controlled a buttery fly valve that directed the water to the main tank. Had to be reset and drained manually. Home place in Minnesota used rain water with a 1500 gallon with that type of valve as well as a separate pump on the rain water system for laundry and baths. When tank was low,just connected main well water by opening and closing a couple valves and shutting down the pump. Whole system took some time and care to operate. Well water was very hard. Hot water was all rain water,

Here in New Hampshire you can buy used 175 or so gallon pallet containers that have held food grade items, one common one is alcohol used in making a lot of things, vinegar, tinctures, spice extracts, for as little as $75 each. Use them in greenhouse with good results with water from a shallow well. Water is fine but plants don't like cold showers either. can temper the tank and 45 degree well water to about air temp and it does make a difference in bato bucket hydroponic tomatoes.that are flooded at intervals. While the fertilizer solution is recycled, there is make up water added.

What is shallow well water depth, purity, and amount available in your area? Were lots of old shallow wells in El Paso. Deep water was OK in areas that were refilled from Mountains, but lots were very heavy in minerals. Have shallow well, 20 feet deep and about 1000 gallon a day pumping rate, summer and winter and with deep well hand pump, can easily supply pallet tank for greenhouse and could handle emergency use as well. With the right hand pump, windmill type seal on pump head, you can
pump water up into a tank or in my dreams have a windmill.

I miss your dad, he had so much wisdom in so may areas, enjoyed sharing them, and was very articulate as well. He is sorely missed. Best of wishes to his whole famly

 

A guy called Handeeman has a Channel that covers exactly this in detail.

Find him on YouTube. Rainwater Harvesting - How To - YouTube

 

Anything possible with a few valves and some pex or pvc.

 

Get a Berkey water filter and bleach and you can drink most water. I drank pond and creek water for two weeks testing mine. I’m installing rain gutter, diverters and rain barrels at my new home next week. At my farm, one inch of rain a month would provide me 10 gallons a day. More than enough. I had a RV water pump running the rain water through a faucet outside. I had 20 pounds of pressure throughout the entire house. I treated only the water I ingested and took showers and flushed toilets with untreated water. My grandparents had a large cistern that supplied all their water for years. It can be done.

 

A first flush rainwater system may be useful for diverting contaminants from rain harvested water intended for potable water storage...There are many different systems which are commercially made, and it is possible to construct DIY installations using components commonly found in hardware stores and plumbing supply businesses. There is no shortage of YouTube videos that show step by step instructions, and a variety of diversion systems from simple to the complex, from the very affordable to those on an unlimited budget.

Although there are some advantages to using first flush rainwater diversion systems, there are also some caveats to ensuring that the installed system actually functions effectively as designed....such systems are not set and forget...they require monitoring and maintenance.


https://www.epw.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/4490/newsflash-358.pdf

https://www.basix.nsw.gov.au/iframe/images/BASIX_Rainwater_Harvesting_System_Guidelines.pdf

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/water/rainwater

https://www.bluebarrelsystems.com/blog/first-flush-diverter/

Effective first flush volumes in experimental household-scale rainwater catchment systems | Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology-Aqua | IWA Publishing

 

Florida Keys relied on water catchment and cisterns prior to a water pipe line being run. Many houses still have functional cisterns.
Wondering if you don't use city water do they still charge you a flat fee minimum usage --a lot do. Welcome to the forum your dad is missed with his wisdom and experience

 

When I stopped using city water at the farm, they did not pull the meter, just locked it. All the infrastructure for city water is still there. They did charge me a meter charge of $35 per month until I cancelled the service. I do have a deep well and a 500 gallon tank by the well head which I keep full of water in case I have no electricity. I can then use a 12-volt solar panel, battery and RV pump to feed the house. So, deep well first0, stored water from deep well second, filtered rain catchment third and if need be, filtered pond and creek water fourth. One is none.

 

Out our way we have no city water --lucky here we have and aquifer about 40 ' down below a rock layer. Generator is wired into well when power goes out.

 

Only thing to look out for is galvanized steel coating may contain up to 1% lead.
I only know this because lead would accumulate in maple syrup that was collected from galvanized buckets.
Water that has or may have some lead in it is definitely still useful. Lack of water will kill ya a lot faster than lead poisoning and you can always use it for cleaning.

 

Was on a rum run for a squadron party, really cheap booze , on a SA16 AF amfib to some little island off, Bermuda in 1950,s. They made the rum no tax on imported booze, but it was 50 cents for cold coke with ice. Bottle of rum was free as long as you bought cokes. They had to import the fuel to run the generator to make the ice or refrigerator. Told not to drink water as they put a turtle in the cistirn to eat the rats ect that drowned. Might have been a snipe hunt, but I didn't drink the water.

They pressed sugar cane to make sugar and did something with the pressed stalk to end up with cheap rum. Fancy recycling.

 

If you poured your Coke over ice, then you were drinking the water! If the bottles of Coke were just chilled by the ice, you were OK!

 

Another reason for separate water lines is that contamination can go BOTH ways, as water authorities often issue warnings to not use water, not to drink water, or to boil water before use!

 

I keep the municipal water for drinking and bathing. My gutters feed two 375 gallon totes that water the garden and animals. It's there for us in emergencies. Tote cistern/sand and charcoal filter/then Berkley if that comes to pass.

We didn't get enough rain this year in Dallas for everything but the totes only went dry once.

Around 1" rain fills up both totes. My house is only about 1000 Sq ft. YMMV.

 

Rainwater collection is encouraged in the state and county, and there is no HOA. Dad would have loved that part. I was looking at the rules and I just need to make it so the rainwater can't backwash into the city lines. Would the Amazon.com: APEC Water Systems ROES-50 Essence Series Top Tier 5-Stage WQA Certified Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System : Tools & Home Improvement be enough under the sink to make sure the rain water off of the roof is safe to drink?

I miss him pretty bad. I had a dream about him the other night and he says he is fine so I am going with that.