Rain Water Harvesting Systems

CloudStream designs, constructs and maintains turnkey Rain Water and Gray Water harvesting systems for existing structures as well as new development.

CloudStream serves the commercial, residential and governmental sectors presenting immediate water and cost savings through the use of proven water harvesting practices.

We Build Rain Harvesting systems that store 300- 10k gallons of water to use for irrigation. Water is only going to get more expensive! We offer a way to set your water bills and pay back the cost of the system with the savings in short amount of time.

Iron Rain Barrel Stand Charleston, SC/ Augusta GA

Wrought Iron Rain Barrel Stands Charleston, SC

These are made in South Carolina by iron workers!

Flat iron (the hoop and cross members) are new from short scraps. The decorative pieces and twists, etc. are reclaim.

Heights are 5 , 6, 9 , 11 at the top of the cross members.

The stands are a primer color, Black or Charleston green.

We Sell Rain Barrels in Charleston Sc


Contact info@Cloudstreamwater.com for more information

Rain Harvesting Systems, Charleston, South Carolina, Augusta Georgia, Rain Water , Rainwater collection, capturing, filtering, storing rainwater

Contact Heath Timmerman
htimmerman@cloudstreamwater.com
843-388-5360

Cloudstream can present immediate water and cost savings through the use of proven water engineering practices. Our company designs, constructs and maintains turnkey Rain Water and Gray Water harvesting systems for existing structures as well as new development. Additionally Cloudstream conducts comprehensive water auditing and offers consultation services on water usage, water efficiency, storm water management.

Rain Harvesting will part of everyday life. Contact Cloudstream today!

Rain Water Harvesting

Sandy Springs has introduced a voluntary program designed to save water when building both homes and businesses.

The water conservation incentive program will grant fee rebates to developers, based on the measures they take to use as little water as possible.

If they go far enough to save and reuse water — such as creating rain gardens to filter groundwater and collect and filter water for irrigation — developers could end up paying nothing in building fees for their projects in the northern Fulton County city.

“This will go a long way to address this region’s water shortages and make us a leader in conservation,” Mayor Eva Galambos said.

The policy appears to be unique for the region, putting incentives in place of requirements for development. It drew support from such diverse interests as the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and the Council for Quality Growth.

“We approve of this as a market-based solution,” said Joe Padilla of the home builders association.

The basic conservation measures are grouped in levels called turtles. The first, called a Bronze Turtle, requires new construction to include low-flow toilets and showers and landscaping using drought-resistant plants and techniques. There is no rebate for this level.

The next level, a Silver Turtle, requires those basics plus three stricter conservation measures such as keeping large areas of vegetation intact. In return, the city will give back 30 percent of building permit fees on residential construction or administrative fees on commercial projects.

The Gold Turtle level will give back half of the fees for developers who meet the bronze and silver requirements and add yet another three strict measures, such as an interior irrigation system.

Developers who reach the Platinum Turtle level must complete every measure available, including designing the grading to capture and slow water runoff and eliminate the use of potable water — water fit for human and animal consumption — in landscaping. Those builders will get back their entire building fee.

How much the city will lose on fees depends on each developer and the level they achieve. Although commercial building fees vary greatly from project to project, the basic fee for single-family homes is $1,390. That means the city could lose as little as $417 for the silver level, $695 for the gold or all of it for those who reach platinum status.

Supporters argue the incentives will be worth the loss of fees, because they say they will cut at least 10 percent of the water used.

“These incentives are for both developers and homeowners,” said Jason O’Rouke, a policy analyst with the Council for Quality Growth. “They will absolutely make a difference in water usage for everyone.

Rain Water Barrels in Charleston, SC.
Rain Harvesting by: CloudStreamwater.com


The only local Rain Barrels that are made in Charleston, SC are the CloudStream Barrels. We encourage you to buy local. The other barrels you may see are shipped in from other states.

Our barrels have the only 100% recycled screen material on the market which keeps out bugs. We only use top of the line hardware that will allow years of rain water collection!

We retail our rain water barrels at Hyams on James Island and at Dwell Smart in Mt. Pleasant.

We also whole sale our Rain Harvesting Barrels.

Contact htimmerman@cloudstreamwater.com or 843-388-5360

Rain Barrels South Carolina

Rain Barrels and Rain Catchment Systems:
What are they and why are they important?
By: Marguerite Porter
Over the past 13 months South Carolina has been experiencing a drought. During September 2007 all counties in the state of South
Carolina, excluding Jasper and Beaufort Counties, were considered to be experiencing extreme drought conditions according to the South Carolina State Climatology Office. Although some of the state received rain from Hurricane Fay, only 16 of the state’s 46 counties are no longer considered to be in drought status leaving 65% of South Carolina’s counties in drought status. Eight upstate counties are still experiencing extreme drought conditions.
Drought conditions affect the entire state. South Carolina is drained by 4 major drainage basins, two of which originate in the upstate region. Therefore, half of the state depends on water that comes from areas in extreme drought conditions, historical lake lows and reduced stream flow.
In July 2008, Governor Mark Sanford urged South Carolina residents to conserve water. Since approximately half of household water is used outdoors,, many people are turning to an ancient and traditional practice of rain harvesting through the use of rain barrels.
Rain barrels, or similar rain catchment systems, have been used throughout history in many different cultures, from Mesoamericans to ancient Rome. In the highlands of central Mexico, the construction of a small cistern often precedes the building of a house. Today the most extensive rain water collection system is located at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas .

Rainwater collection systems offer many benefits to individuals
who utilize them, ranging from lower water costs and a better quality of water for cultivation; rainwater collection systems also benefit the environment. The obvious advantages are no withdrawal of groundwater or use of municipal water supplies. The less obvious advantage of rainwater collection systems is that it helps reduce storm water runoff, which in turn reduces the amount of storm flow that could lead to downstream flooding and stream bank erosion. So how does a rain barrel work? It works by being placed near a roof or a downspout. The rain
barrel is connected to the downspout either by shortening your gutter or connecting a pipe to divert rain from the roof into the barrel. Rain barrels and rain catchment systems can range fromsimple to complex. The simplest of barrels rely on gravity to deliver water, but more ambitious homeowners may chose to use pumps and flow controls to better meet their water needs. What is important to remember is that unless a proper filtration system
is installed, water from rain barrels or other catchment systems is not potable for humans or pets.
What is very interesting about rain barrels and rain catchment systems is that there does not have to be a lot of rain to fill your barrels.
This is good news for residents of the state in drought areas who may go weeks without seeing a ¼ “of rain. A typical roof has 1,200 square feet of impermeable surface and 4 downspouts. If a rain barrel is attached to every downspout then only 0.3 inches of rain would be needed to fill the rain barrels. A 2000 square foot roof could collect 1,200 gallons of water with just 1 inch of rain.

Rain barrels come with a spigot near the bottom of the barrel so that a standard garden hose can be connected, and the water saved can be used for irrigation.
So, start thinking about building your rain barrels!

Great Article on How Rain Barrels help the Red fish population and coastal ecosystem in South Carolina and Georgia.

The SCDNR is also concerned about development along the coast that is changing land into paved areas that produces non-point source runoff. SCDNR has a presentation that poses the question, “Why does storm water runoff matter to a red drum?” There is a link to this information available at
www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/NERR/present/WaterResources_SierraClub.pdf.

Water quality directly affects shellfish banks, shrimp populations and the health of red drum stocks. If an afternoon thunderstorm becomes a detriment to the coastal ecosystem because of all the untreated pollution it pulls into the estuary, then one can imagine how quick a downward spiral may develop.

One practice that will help with storm-water runoff is catching on: rain collection via rain barrels, often called rain gardens. So can rain gardens improve your fishing? The answer is yes, but the concept would only help on a landscape scale if more and more people are made aware of the potential pollution and want to make a difference.

With the southeast receiving less rain these days, saltwater intrusion into freshwater drinking water and ecosystems is also a concern, so a rain barrel of “free” and fresh water might make a lot of sense down the road. Freshwater runoff as it relates to a saltwater ecosystem, commercial fishing versus conservation practices, the value society places on a sustainable fishery, and what can one do to help educate others about the importance of our marine resources. There are more and more issues like these to consider in the future, and almost certainly their will be more regulations to follow, so for the time being remember to fish for

http://www.southcarolinasportsman.com/details.php?id=881
Fun fishing: the best and worst of times

Charleston SC Rain Barrels, Free Rain Water! Catch it with the CloudStream rainwater barrel! contact info@cloudstreamwater.com

Purchase our rain barrels at DwellSmart

We are proud to announce that DwellSmart in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina is selling Cloudstream Rain Barrels now. DwellSmart is located off Hwy 17 in Mount Pleasant in the same shopping center as EcoFitness. They carry some really cool green products, accessories and decor. Check them out when you get a chance.

http://www.dwellsmart.com/

Cloudstream Rain Barrels in Augusta, Georgia!

Cloudstream sells Rain Barrels in Augusta, Georgia at the Oasis Garden http://www.oasisgardenga.com/

Oasis Garden
1034 Broad St .
Augusta , GA 30901

706-364-0169

The article below was featured in West Of, a weekly community paper covering Charleston's West of the Ashley community, a great community newspaper.

HARVESTING

THE RAIN

Local company uses rainwater to lessen environment impact and lower water bills

(fom Left) Heath Timmerman, Jeff Jarrard, and Greg Watkins of Cloudstream Water Harvesting Group

By Lorne Chambers

Editor

A couple months ago Heath Timmerman was visiting his mother in Augusta, Ga., where there’s a drought even more severe than we have been experiencing here in the Lowcountry. Timmerman was slightly shocked and inspired to see his mother had placed buckets in the bathtub, where she was collecting water from showers to use for her flowers and plants.

This sparked an idea for Timmerman, who began to looking into the benefits of rain barrels and water harvesting. So he and two friends, Greg Watkins and Jeff Jarrard, began Cloudstream Water Harvesting Group, a water efficiency contractor, serving commercial, residential, and governmental sectors. They present water and cost saving ideas through the use of proven water engineering practices. The company designs, constructs, and maintains turnkey rain water and gray water harvesting systems for existing structures as well as new development.

Timmerman admits that when he first got the idea to make custom rain barrels for residential homes, he didn’t even realize all the benefits that came with capturing rain water from rooftops and reapplying it to water lawns and gardens. Not only does it help lower your water bill and thus help with water shortage, but it presents multiple benefits for the environment.

Rain barrels are designed to capture rainwater, which can be used to for just about any outdoor water need. According to Watkins, this is the next step in recycling and a key component to creating a sustainable lifestyle. Used to supplement tap water for irrigation as well as other uses, rain barrels have been found to save as much as half off of an average water bill. Along with cost savings, Timmerman points out that rain barrels are an affordable way for homeowners to reduce pollutants from storm water run off, such as nitrogen from fertilizers, which contaminant our fragile waterways and oceans.

According to Timmerman, as much as 30 percent of all residential water use is applied to irrigation or other outdoor uses. He explains that this not only takes a large amount of water from our drinking supply, but it also requires a great deal of energy at the pump station to get the water to your garden hose, just to pour it right into the ground.

Cloudstream uses 55-gallon A+ food barrels made from recycled plastics and saved from the landfill. “Capturing the water also helps with stopping runoff, which ultimately gets into our rivers, streams, and oceans,” explains Timmerman. The barrels catch the water before it hits the asphalt where it picks up nitrogen and other pollutants. “It keeps the water on the property.”

Because the barrels used by Cloudstream are recycled, Watkins says that some may contain minor scuffing and scratches, but that they do not effect the performance of the barrel. “These marks are just a reminder that we don't have to live in a ‘throw away society,’” says Watkins. “Our barrels are designed to handle thousands of gallons of rainwater in their lifetime and require little to no maintenance at all.” The barrels are fitted with industrial grade plumbing fittings: spigot, overflow spouts and caps and with reclaimed UV protected heavy duty shade cloth to keep mosquitoes and debris out.

As our population continues to grow so does the prolonged drought in our state, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural resources. Watkins emphasizes the importance of every citizen to do his or her part to conserve water. He says one of the easiest and least costly ways is harvesting rain with rain barrels. The technology is ancient and just a one-inch rainfall on a 1,000-square-foot roof can one produces 600 gallons of runoff. “It’s easy to see that with one normal rain event, the average home can capture enough rainfall to pay for the barrels in no time,” says Watkins. 


For more information on rain barrels or other water harvesting methods, log onto www.cloudstreamwater.com.

A lot of people have been asking us where to purchase Cloudstream Rain Barrels. We are now offering them for sale at Sewee Outpost on Hwy 17 North in Awendaw, just above Mount Pleasant, SC. Look for them in other retailers and garden centers in the Charleston, SC area soon. You can always email or call us to purchase rain barrels. We can deliver and even help you set them up. We will also be selling rain barrels at the Daniel Island Farmers Market this Saturday, April 18th.

http://www.cloudstreamwater.com

Rain Barrels

Rain Barrels are the next step in recycling and a key component to creating a sustainable lifestyle. Used to supplement city water for irrigation as well as other uses rain barrels have been proven to save as much as 60% on an average water bill. Along with cost savings rain barrels are an affordable way for homeowners to reduce pollutants from storm water run off, such as nitrogen from fertilizers, which contaminant our fragile waterways and oceans.

As our population continues to grow so does the prolonged drought in our state according to the South Carolina Department of Natural resources: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/water/climate/sco/Drought/drought_current_info.php

It's critical that every citizen to do his or her part to conserve water. One of the easiest and least costly ways is harvesting rain with rain barrels. The technology is ancient, it's proven and it's fun. Just one inch of rainfall produces 600 gallons of runoff per 1,000 square feet of roof! It's easy to see that with one normal rain event the average home can capture enough rainfall to pay for the barrels in no time.

Our rain barrels are reclaimed grade A+ food barrels made from recycled plastics and saved from the landfill. Because they have been working hard in a previous life they may contain some minor scuffing and scratches but these do not effect the performance of the barrel. These marks are just a reminder that we don't have to live in a "throw away society". Our barrels have been fitted with industrial grade plumbing fittings: spigot, overflow spouts and caps and with reclaimed UV protected heavy duty shade cloth to keep mosquitoes and debris out. Our barrels are designed to handle thousands of gallons of rainwater in their lifetime and require little to no maintenance at all.

Mission:

Cloudstream Water Harvesting Group is a Water Efficiency Contractor (WEC) serving commercial, residential and governmental sectors. Cloudstream can present immediate water and cost savings through the use of proven water engineering practices. Our company designs, constructs and maintains turnkey Rain Water and Gray Water harvesting systems for existing structures as well as new development. Additionally Cloudstream conducts comprehensive water auditing and offers consultation services on water usage, water efficiency, storm water management.