Experts say one El Nino, no matter how wet, won’t come close to restoring California to predrought levels. In response, forwardthinking property owners are installing tanks to collect rainwater, from 1,500-gallon above-ground rain barrels to underground cisterns that hold tens of thousands of gallons and run $20,000 to $40,000. Most systems work via a mix of gravity and electricity, with rain travelling from rooftops to downspouts to underground pipes to the containers. Once collected, water is fed via pumps to an automated irrigation system. With the average resident of, say, Beverly Hills, using about 2,250 gallons a month on their garden, a 10,000-gallon cistern can go a long way. One inch of rain falling on the roof of a 2,000-square-foot house can generate 1,200 gallons of water.
Homeowners who buy…
