RainCatchers is proud to partner with The Hoots Group and Joel Kelly Designs on a rainwater harvesting system for the 2010 Southern Building Showcase House. Rainwater from the roof of Midtown Green House will gravity-feed through a vortex filter and into an inground 5,000 gallon fiberglass cistern. From the cistern rainwater will be pumped into an irrigation system and into the house where it will be purified and used to supply toilets and washing machines. This will help establish superior water efficiency and mitigate stormwater runoff while scoring points for the ecohome's LEED certification.

Video shows a typical residential inground installation and how it is plumbed just prior to connecting the drainpipe from the roof to the WISY vortex filter and backfilling to grade.

These systems are carefully engineered to function with gravity excluding the use of additional pumping stations.

This is a recent front yard installation for a client in the Virginia Highlands area.

"This may well have been a place that Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar with," said archaeologist Yardena Alexandre. A young Jesus may have played around the house with his cousins and friends. "It's a logical suggestion."

The discovery was made when builders dug up the courtyard of a former convent to make room for a new Christian center, just yards from the Basilica of the Annunciation. "They say if the people do not speak, the stones will speak," said the Rev. Jack Karam of the Basilica.

Archaeologists also found clay and chalk vessels typically used by Galilean Jews of that time to ensure the ritual purity of the food and water kept inside the vessels.

"For me it is a great gift," said Karam of the discovery.

Read more about it here.

We agree with Thoreau:

"How full of the Creative Genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat. Nature is full of genius, full of the Divinity, so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand."

And Jeanette Winterson:

"They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?"

So enjoy a few photos of these marvels from the heavens:

* Assumes consumption of about 6,000 gallons of water per month.

** No increases have been scheduled beyond 2012, but the new mayor and City Council will have to enact them to cover the city’s debt payments.

While it may be true that there is no easy button to Georgia's water problem, there is a viable, relatively simple solution. It starts with the understanding that there is no shortage of water given, but a shortage of water received. Mark Brown of RainCatchers outlined the solution in a letter to the task force prior to their meeting with the Governor:

I am writing to offer a solid solution to the impending water crisis in Georgia. I am writing as a concerned citizen and an expert in the field of rainwater harvesting. Several years ago I chose Rainwater Harvesting as a new career path. As an already successful entrepreneur in another industry I made this choice, because it was obvious to me that water was fast becoming a major issue in our state as well as around the world. In my endeavor to become an expert, I sought out the authorities in the field, and spent much time researching and learning from these experts. I also looked for knowledge from leading authorities on water from around the world, and through this journey I found that there are a few points on which all are in agreement. Water is a finite resource and the rate of demand on this finite resource is growing quicker than the rate of population growth itself. We know this all too well in Georgia.

The i-raincatcher flier is complete and ready to be sent to Clayton Homes sales centers that currently have an i-house on-site:

• Knoxville, TN
• Seattle, WA
• Sacramento, CA
• Albuquerque, NM
• Springfield, MO
• Fredericksburg, VA
• Little Rock, AR
• Atlanta, GA
• Crestview, FL

Read the flier for all the good stuff about our special rainwater harvesting system custom designed for the i-house. [A lower priced, non-potable version is also available].

The financing bit warrants a little further elaboration:

With Vanderbilt Mortgage [Clayton Homes' financial division] it is possible for Buyers of the i-house to finance the i-raincatcher with the purchase of the home. This can be a sound financial decision. For example, amortizing the purchase price of the system at 6% interest over 30 years equals approximately $50 per month. The Buyer can be cash flow positive from day one in places like Atlanta where water bills can be higher!

We confess to love at first sight when we saw the Clayton i-house. The metal butterfly roof with strategically placed downspouts is a thing of beauty to the eyes of a raincatcher.

Rainwater harvesting is only the beginning of the story where this ground-breaking sustainable ecohome is concerned. With optional solar panels this home can be operated for $1 per day in energy costs!

The home comes equipped with low flow water fixtures throughout. Add a whole-house rainwater harvesting system and off-the-grid living is well within reach.

So we got busy doing what we do best. The result is the i-raincatcherTM, a rainwater harvesting system customed designed for the i-house.

i-house + i-raincatcher illustration courtesy of himynameisjoe.com

The i-raincatcherTM employs our 4 step collection and storage system, allowing the i-house owner to harvest water that typically meets or is just beneath federal drinking water standards. When the water is pumped from the cistern into the house it passes through our three stage purification system rendering the water supremely drinkable.

An EPA spokesperson has suggested, "a properly designed rainwater system could easily exceed all national standards for what comes out of any municipal tap, anywhere in the country." This is the case with the i-raincatcherTM. We are proud to partner with Clayton Homes and offer whole-house rainwater harvesting systems to their i-house clients nationwide.

We are scheduled to install the first system next month for an i-house client in New Mexico. This home will be 100% off-the-grid. Stay tuned for updates!

546 Edgewood Avenue in the Old Fourth Ward is the location of an ecohome representing the leading edge in energy and environmental design for Atlanta. Architect/Builder Michael “Fletch” Fletcher has achieved LEED Platinum status with the project – christened LEEDing Edge – making it the first single family residential unit to earn the distinction within the city of Atlanta.

Rainwater harvesting makes a key contribution to the home's certification, earning a total of 7 points for the project. Collecting, filtering, storing, and purifying the rain that falls on the roof allows the future homeowner to enjoy an estimated 82% reduction in household water needs. This tiny water footprint is sure to be an increasingly desirable feature as Atlanta's water rates continue to escalate.

RainCatchers was contracted to install the rainwater harvesting system. During a rain event, rainwater from the roof drains to the ground floor mechanical room. The water flows through a WISY inline downspout filter before entering a 600 gallon cistern. The WISY filter is a German innovation that separates all but the very finest particulates, oxygenating the water in the process. When needed, the cleanest water in the cistern is removed through a floating filter. The water then passes through a three stage purification unit consisting of a micron, UV, and carbon filter configuration.  This process delivers  water that is purified to a standard that exceeds the municipal supply. The output  provides 100% of the water needed for toilet flushing, clothes washing, and irrigation under normal rainfall conditions. The cistern is automatically recharged with municipal water in the event of inadequate rainfall.

The home is currently being offered for sale at $399,000 [FMLS #3849895].

For more information on the ecohome's LEED features, visit: http://www.ecohomeguy.com/LEEDingEdge

 Click on the image for a larger view

Dennis Haysbert gives encouraging words for meeting the Global Water Challenge. He has been involved in raising funds for rainwater harvesting systems in water challenged regions of the world.

RainCatchers is a triple bottom line company donating at least 1% of profits to the most severely water-challenged people of our planet.