By Moses Leos III
The past eight years, Jane and Calvin Kirkham rarely used the well on their property along south Stagecoach Road in Kyle. And they are not hooked up to the city’s water system.
How do they get their water?
By collecting and purifying rainwater.
The Kirkhams are one of the few who have fully integrated their water supply to a rainwater collection system. While implementation isn’t cheap, the Kirkhams believe it’s an efficient process, provided the correct research is done in advance.
Discussions over whether to build a collection system began in 2006. Having lived in their home for three years, the Kirkhams were tired of the taste and quality of their well water.
“Everything had white stuff all over it. It was all over our dishes,” Jane said. “The water is very hard here. It’s full of minerals.”
Calvin researched the prospect of rainwater harvesting, with the help of Richard Heineken, owner of Tank Town in Dripping Springs.
However, the research went beyond just bringing in a large tank. The couple found they had to understand their own personal usage, along with how much rain falls in their area.
They then had to find out how much rain they could collect from their roof. Using a special formula, the Kirkhams found how big of a tank they needed — 12,500 gallons.
“You’ve got to catch what you need when it doesn’t rain for a long time,” Calvin said.
Next the Kirkhams planned how they would circulate the water. It began with retrofitting their gutters to help aid water capture. Calvin then used his expertise in plumbing to help install PVC piping to and from the home.
With the help of Heineken, the Kirkhams then purchased an already built filterboard system, costing roughly $600.
The system features several components, including a carbon and cloth filter. The most important piece is the ultraviolet light, which sterilizes the water for potable use.
“We don’t treat the water at all,” Jane said. “We let the UV light do all the work.”
Due to the layout of their home, their water tank is on a higher plane than their home. To rectify the issue, two circulation pumps were needed to move the water. They also installed a surge tank — a holding area for any debris that travels with rainwater.
All told, the Kirkhams spent roughly $11,000 to bring in the system, the tank being the biggest cost with the build-out process taking three months.
Was it worth it?
“In three hair washings, my hair felt softer,” Jane said. “It took all the residue and the minerals. It was better.”
One caveat is the threat of not having enough water. While the Kirkhams haven’t totally run out of water, they’ve come close. Jane said they were once down to roughly 3,000 gallons.
Both know of rainwater harvesters who ran out of water. Their only respite was to truck it in, which is expensive. Practicing water stewardship is a necessary skill, according to Calvin.
Other issues also stemmed from the rainwater itself; the high acidity corrodes copper piping.
“In typical houses, they have copper fittings,” Calvin said. “The water will eat up the copper. You have to put a base in it to prevent that.”
He said replacing copper with either stainless steel or plastic mitigates that issue.
A system also forces routine maintenance. This includes removing debris from the surge tank. Calvin said a “general rule of thumb” is to change filters every few months, while changing the UV light annually.
Maintenance aside, the Kirkhams enjoy their system, due in part to its eco-friendly nature. In addition, the water never stagnates, so long as the storage tank is opaque in color. Jane estimates much of the original water collected in 2006 is still there.
Ensuring water doesn’t get taken away from the aquifer is the biggest relief.
“I feel like I’m not using water from the aquifer,” Jane said. “Our water runs off so quickly, because we are downhill … I don’t feel like I’m robbing the aquifer of recharge.”
