Rainwater Collection

My last year in school, I was a member of a studio that designed and helped construct a 1200 SF home for a Central Texas ranch manager and his wife.  We used as many green materials and technologies as we could, as the ranch's goal was not cattle-raising, but environmental preservation.  The centerpiece was a rainwater collection system that gave the house a self-sufficient water supply that did not further strain the drying aquifers of what was then a baby drought.  Flash forward 7 years and the drought has not relented, however, the house continues to maximize the little rainfall it receives and provide plenty for the house's owners.  The manager elaborates on the system in his journal here and gives a good break down of the basic functions.  As the AREs look more and more like the LEED exam, particularly the SPD exam, it's all good stuff to know.