At the homes of Dr. Mark and Jacalyn Lane, and Joe and Cindy Abel, the soft drinking water seems as clear and clean as a bubbling mountain brook. To capture that water, however, the Lampasas-area residents look not to a spring but simply to their rooftops.

Rainwater harvesting systems — consisting of gutters, pipes, cisterns, pumps and filters — allow the Lanes and Abels to receive from rainfall alone all the water they need for in-home use.

As rain falls on the metal roof of either home, gutters channel the water, which drains downhill to a storage area — a 15,000-gallon, above-ground tank at the Abels’ residence and a 40,000-gallon, underground cistern at the Lanes’ home. Filters screen out large particles, and pumps carry the water back uphill toward the houses, where water is filtered again and treated with ultraviolet light to kill bacteria.

Homeowners may decide to install rainwater collection systems to reduce the amount of water they drain from aquifers, to avoid relying on wells or to save money — over the course of a decade or more — on water.

The cost of rainwater systems varies widely depending on the size of the water storage cisterns, the type of materials used and whether sheds or pump houses are built to house equipment, said Rex Keele, owner of Rex Keele Construction, who installed the Lanes’ rainwater harvesting system.

For non-potable uses, such as watering a garden, a rain barrel or trash can placed underneath the downspout of a gutter can suffice.

More elaborate “Cadillac” systems, Keele said, can cost between $15,000 and $25,000. Despite the complexity of some systems, he said many property owners install their rain collection equipment themselves.

Although homeowners may need several years to recoup the cost of installation, government incentives are available for some rainwater collection systems. Rainwater harvesting equipment and supplies are exempt from state sales tax, and pollution control equipment — including water conservation gear — at commercial installations is exempt from property taxes.

In addition, owners of rainwater collection systems may apply annually through their appraisal districts for county property tax exemptions.

Although he does not receive tax incentives for his family’s rainwater system, Abel estimated utility savings may pay for his water harvesting infrastructure within 10 years.

Along with financial considerations, some rainwater users cite environmental reasons for capturing the water that falls on their homes. In addition to reducing the use of groundwater, rainwater harvesting can help limit erosion and pollution from sediment, pesticides and fertilizers in storm water, according to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service rainwater collection Web site, rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu.

On a 1,000-square-foot roof, each inch of rain generates about 600 gallons of water, according to texasrainfallcatchment.com.

“That’s one of the things that really sold me on it,” Abel said.

Average daily per-capita indoor water use in the United States is about 70 gallons, according to the American Water Works Association. Consequently, given average Lampasas County annual rainfall, a four-person home with 3,000 square feet of roof space and an efficient rain capturing system could provide for about half the family’s annual indoor water use.

Although both the Abels and Lanes use a well for outdoor watering purposes, they rarely have to rely on the well to supplement their indoor water supply.

“Even in the last drought we didn’t have to use our well,” Abel said.

Since building their home south of Lampasas about 10 years ago, the Lanes have used their well for potable water for only a few months total. Those were either particularly dry months, Lane said, or periods of heavy use before the couple’s two children moved to college.

“Now that it’s just Jacalyn and me, I doubt we’ll ever have to go back to the well,” Lane said.

Although rainfall collection can offset a large portion of in-home use, Keele said it would be difficult to capture precipitation to offset 100 percent of a home’s consumption of groundwater.

“I don’t think you can ever build one big enough to get all the water you need for inside and outside,” he said.

Property owners who want to conserve water through rainwater harvesting can benefit, Keele said, from xeriscaping, as it reduces the need to water plants.

“You don’t want to use all your drinking water for watering the lawn,” Keele said.

Although wells can help with irrigation and lawn care, some landowners prefer not to rely on them as an indoor water source. Keele, who has advised several people about rainwater collection, said most potential buyers who spoke to him had weak wells and were searching for a more reliable source of water.

The Lanes chose a rainwater harvesting system because it can deliver softer, cleaner water than their well. The rain collection equipment complemented other energy-efficient features the couple incorporated into their home, Lane said, and eliminates the worry of an underground source running dry.

“Any time you have a well, you just never know,” Lane said.

The Abels enjoy the low mineral content of rainwater not only for drinking, but also for reducing the strain on appliances and pipes.

“It’s definitely saved our plumbing,” Abel said.

Aside from replacing filters every few months — a five- to 10-minute process, Lane said — the only other maintenance required is changing the UV light about once a year, Abel said. Maintenance supplies cost about $200 a year, Abel added.

For at least some homeowners, maximizing the use of rainfall is worth the installation costs and occasional maintenance efforts.

“I think this is a great way of doing it,” Lane said.

Some simple materials — and the patter of rain on a metal roof — can go a long way.