Take Care of Texas

TCEQ Announces Publication of Free Rain Harvesting Guide

Encourages Texans to Conserve Water Resources

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) today announced the publication of Rainwater Harvesting with Rain Barrels, a brief and easy to understand guide which helps Texans learn the basics of collecting this valuable natural resource.

"Water availability is one of the most critical issues we will face in our future," said TCEQ Chairman Buddy Garcia. "It is important for Texans to learn about the different ways they can have a positive impact on the environment by making simple changes in their daily lives. This guide teaches about one of the ways Texans can do their part through water conservation."

While the population of Texas is expected to more than double between the years 2000 and 2060, growing from almost 21 million to about 46 million, the state's water supply is projected to decrease during this same time period, from 17.8 million acre-feet in 2010 to 14.6 million acre-feet in 2060. Faced with a growing population and a diminishing water supply, Texas will need to both conserve existing resources and encourage alternative technologies, such as rainwater harvesting.

Rainwater Harvesting with Rain Barrels is being made available in both hard copy and .pdf download format. This and other rainwater harvesting resources can be found online at the Take Care of Texas Web site.

Take Care of Texas is a program of the TCEQ which offers Texans tips that save money and reduce their environmental impact and also makes available radio public service announcements and print advertisements, about water conservation, for download.

All TCEQ news releases are available at www.tceq.state.tx.us/.

To receive news releases and other newly posted information automatically, visit the Sign up for E-mail Updates on the TCEQ home page.

Questions? Comments? Contact educate@tceq.state.tx.us