Home-grown Rainwater Reclamation System Original 12-barrel design and construction guidance by Arnie Thompson of Acterra. After a season of use, I revamped the system to include the rear gutter and add 7 more barrels (to increase capacity, fix several leak issues, and reduce flooding in the back), with the help of my roommate, Nidia. Please contact me for parts-list and instructions to build your own!

Home-grown Rainwater Reclamation System
Original 12-barrel design and construction guidance by Arnie Thompson of Acterra. After a season of use, I revamped the system to include the rear gutter and add 7 more barrels (to increase capacity, fix several leak issues, and reduce flooding in the back), with the help of my roommate, Nidia. Please contact me for parts-list and instructions to build your own!

Nineteen 55 gallon drums were re-purposed to create a system to collect rainwater and mitigate flooding. The trees/plants growing around my house seem to prefer rainwater to the chemically-altered city water. When the 1045 gallon system was inspected by the City of Palo Alto (rated one of the greenest cities in the US and leading the nation in sustainable neighborhood programs), I was told that it was the largest system they had seen!