Why You Should Get A Rain Water Cistern – A Green and Sustainable Choice

Recently, I had a rainwater cistern, called a RainXchange System, installed on my front lawn by Aquascape, Inc.* Above you see a photo of the final product which features a gorgeous water fountain that is made partially from recycled materials.

It is a fantastic green and sustainable solution for my garden – I use it to wash my car and water my front lawn vegetable garden and plant containers. The fountain keeps the water aerated and is a beautiful garden feature as well. This system is really for the everyday homeowner and offers some amazing benefits.

Why should YOU get a rainwater cistern?

#1 – It saves money

The average U.S. household with an average-sized lot uses up to 3,000 gallons of water weekly for landscape irrigation. This costs money. Collecting rainwater allows you to save that money.

Millions of dollars of our taxpayer money are used every time it rains to maintain and repair public stormwater and sewer systems. By collecting your own water and withholding it from the stormwater systems, you save that money to be utilized in another fashion.

#2 – It conserves water

Water conservation is important. Approximately one inch of rainfall on a 2,000 square foot roof creates 1,250 gallons of water that can be reused by your household.  If you run a sprinkler for a few hours, it can easily use around 500 gallons of water. It is estimated that annually, 66,175 gallons of water are used outdoors per U.S. household.

Why are we being so wasteful when it is not necessary? Reducing water demand in the U.S. is important when 26 of our states are currently suffering from  “drought conditions”.

#3 – It is better for the environment

Plants that are watered with rainwater lack the chlorine and other chemicals which most cities use to process our drinking water. While water from a rainwater cistern is considered non-potable because it has not been chemically treated, it is magnificent to use for our plants as they will not have to absorb additional chemicals (like chlorine) and will grow better.

If you include a fountain with the cistern system, you will also encourage wildlife to come to your yard. Just today I saw a lot of new life in my garden – squirrels, chipmunks, several varieties of bees and butterflies, doves, cardinals, wrens, and a robin who discovered how to use the water fountain as a birdbath (see picture at right).

#4 – It reduces regional flooding

The more water we are able to keep out of the over-used stormwater systems, the more we will be able to reduce flooding and erosion. Beyond saving tax-payer money, if everyone owned a rainwater cistern, we would be reducing the amount of water that floods and erodes our regions.

Below is a video that shows the amazing process of how Aquascape Inc. installed this cistern on my property; a traditional suburban residence in the Chicagoland area. Please check it out!

*Special note – – Aquascape, Inc. sponsored the installation of this residential RainXchange System in exchange for my services. This sponsorship does NOT affect my opinion about rainwater collection or rainwater cisterns, which I believe are amazingly good for the environment.