A Bountiful Harvest

One comment often made by the rainwater harvesting naysayers during dry times is, "There's no rain to harvest!"

Well, it is true that during the months of July and August this year, College Station received just over 3 inches of rain. However, there is a reason that we refer to rainwater catchment as rainwater "harvesting." Like any agricultural crop, the harvest of rain must be preserved and used in moderation. That one harvest needs to last until the following harvest.

The naysayer would be one who never had to rely on their own vegetable garden to get through the winter: "Just go to the grocery store." Sadly, for many people that same mentality is taken with water: "Just turn on the tap." A rainwater harvester understands the value of water because they have to make it last from harvest to harvest.

For the rainwater harvesters, it has recently been a bountiful harvest. In College Station, we recorded over 7 inches of rain in September and nearly 1.5 inches already in October. A bumper crop indeed.

It is truly an exciting time when harvesting the rain, just as it is with harvesting vegetables. It gives the rainwater harvester a sense of accomplishment, which the naysayer would have difficulty finding at the grocery store or while turning on the tap.

We as rainwater harvesters need to quell these naysayers by sharing our bountiful harvest. Share with your knowledge and enthusiasm. Just like the Victory Gardens of the 1940s, we can convince many to join us in the joys of rainwater harvesting.