The City of Austin, Texas is one of the few cities in North America with a long-standing program to promote the use of alternate water resources such as rainwater and stormwater harvesting along with water captured from other non-conventional sources for non-potable water use. Austin is located in a region with a humid sub-tropical climate characterized by warm wet winters and hot dry summers. On average, Austin receives just over 32 inches of rain a year with the majority of it falling during the winter months, as is typical of a sub-tropical climate, making it a good but challenging location to promote rainwater harvesting. Promotion of these sources of water serve to both supplement conventional potable water resources and provide an excellent way of educating the public about the dynamics and limited availability of these resources. The program has two focus areas: residential and commercial. This paper describes activities in both areas. Residential rainwater harvesting programs that are discussed include: Cistern Rainwater Harvesting Program; Rain Barrel Rebate Program; and, When It Rains, It Stores Rain Barrel Program. Commercial rainwater harvesting programs include rebate programs, sales tax and property tax exemptions; installation of separate irrigation meters; US Environmental Protection Agency Stormwater Regulations; French drain and basement sump pump systems; and, use of air conditioner condensate. A listing of companies using rainwater and stormwater harvesting systems is given. Examples of other non-conventional water sources are listed.
