Hacienda Maria
Overview
- Category: Residential
- Project Lead: Weston Neiman
- System Location: 3749 N. US Hwy 377, Junction, TX 76849
- Capacity: 18,500 gallons
- Water Use: Whole house: potable and non-potable
Background and System:
After living for almost 14 years on the hard, mineralized water from an Edwards-Trinity (Plateau) Aquifer well, the owners of Hacienda Maria, Junction, decided to switch to a rainwater harvesting system to meet all of their potable and non-potable needs at the residence.
Rainwater is captured from the two-tiered rooftop and channeled into four downspouts that drop the water into custom-built 10-inch aluminum gutters that were fabricated from recycled irrigation pipe. The water then fills up a 50-gallon first flush tank which consists of an old water heater tank. After the float seals the dirty first-flush water, the rainwater is then distributed to three 5,000-gallon stainless steel, food-grade lined tanks, and then to a 3,500-gallon cement cistern which serves as backup storage. When a faucet is turned on inside the residence, water is pumped from a level tank through a series of sediment and carbon filters, and an ultraviolet lamp to provide water to the household.
The rainwater harvesting system serves as an educational tool for visitors who stay at the residence.
