2008 Woodie Awards
Collecting rain helps save water
By Stephanie Mikneus
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Premiere
Originally published: 4/17/08 at 5:46 PM CSTLast update: 4/17/08 at 6:44 PM CST
Conserving water can be easy and cost-effective for students looking to help the environment.
Bud Little is a part of the WOAI radio news team and a determined water conservationist.
Instead of using the hose to water his plants and landscape at his home on the Northeast Side, he saves money by collecting rain water.
"It's not rocket science," Little said. "But it's hard labor."
Little started working seriously on the water-collecting project in 1995.
He has about 50 soft water brine tanks that he has collected from various sources, resulting in 3,000 gallons of available rain water.
He also uses a stock tank the size of a kiddie pool that holds 190 gallons of water.
To fill up about 25 brine tanks, it takes around 3 inches of rainfall, Little said.
Over an average year, Little uses 40,000-50,000 gallons of rain water instead of water supplied by the San Antonio Water System.
An average person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day, according to the USGS Web site, at www.usgs.gov.
Little also has hooked up a hose to his washing machine.
The hose carries water spun from the machine's agitator to moisten the home's concrete foundation.
Little does not use the collected water for drinking, because he does not filter it.
The collected water is used only for his lawn, potted plants and his home's foundation.
Instead, Little uses the water that SAWS supplies for showers, filling the washing machine and dishwasher as well as other inside utlities.
Students can save water doing smaller, easier tasks as well.
Reduce use
The San Antonio Water System provides tips for those who are interested in saving money and water:
When brushing teeth, turn the water off until it is time to rinse.
Whenever possible, use the lowest water-level setting on the washing machine for light or partial loads.
Use the garbage disposal sparingly or start a compost pile.
Learn to repair faucets so that drips can be corrected promptly.
For more information and water saving tips, log on to the San Antonio Water Systems Web site at
http://www.saws.org.
Bud Little is a part of the WOAI radio news team and a determined water conservationist.
Instead of using the hose to water his plants and landscape at his home on the Northeast Side, he saves money by collecting rain water.
"It's not rocket science," Little said. "But it's hard labor."
Little started working seriously on the water-collecting project in 1995.
He has about 50 soft water brine tanks that he has collected from various sources, resulting in 3,000 gallons of available rain water.
He also uses a stock tank the size of a kiddie pool that holds 190 gallons of water.
To fill up about 25 brine tanks, it takes around 3 inches of rainfall, Little said.
Over an average year, Little uses 40,000-50,000 gallons of rain water instead of water supplied by the San Antonio Water System.
An average person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day, according to the USGS Web site, at www.usgs.gov.
Little also has hooked up a hose to his washing machine.
The hose carries water spun from the machine's agitator to moisten the home's concrete foundation.
Little does not use the collected water for drinking, because he does not filter it.
The collected water is used only for his lawn, potted plants and his home's foundation.
Instead, Little uses the water that SAWS supplies for showers, filling the washing machine and dishwasher as well as other inside utlities.
Students can save water doing smaller, easier tasks as well.
Reduce use
The San Antonio Water System provides tips for those who are interested in saving money and water:
When brushing teeth, turn the water off until it is time to rinse.
Whenever possible, use the lowest water-level setting on the washing machine for light or partial loads.
Use the garbage disposal sparingly or start a compost pile.
Learn to repair faucets so that drips can be corrected promptly.
For more information and water saving tips, log on to the San Antonio Water Systems Web site at
http://www.saws.org.
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