Texas is a land of oddly consistent inconsistency.  As the weatherman once said, during a weather report, "Drought.  Flood.  Drought.  Flood.  Drought.  Flood.  In other words, normal Texas weather."

Thus, rainwater collection is nothing new in Central Texas.  (Or anywhere else, for that matter.)  It's been practiced since the early days; even today, in some of our finer inner city neighborhoods, you'll see an old stone cistern, a remnant of the time when there was no city water and your water was obtained (if you didn't live right by the river) from wells and rainwater collection. 

Today, rainwater collection is new! and improved!  There are companies that provide rainwater collection systems (and we appear to be swimming in them), or you can build your own.  The City of Austin offers a rebate for those installing approved rainwater collection systems in order to reduce the strain on the limited water supply during summers.   Many city properties, businesses, and schools have demonstration systems for the public to see.  (My favorite, just because of its location, is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Some horse properties use rainwater collection systems for their barns, for watering their horses - sure saves on the water bill!

Far from being something only strange people do, rainwater collection systems have gone mainstream.  And that's good for our planet, good for our community, and good for us!