The Jackson County Extension Office is working to install a rainwater reclamation system. It would collect runoff from the roof of the county's Service Center Building and use the water in the Master Gardeners' garden near the Jackson County Chamber office.
Extension Agent Cade Smith said a 2-inch rain could fill the system with about 10,000 gallons of nitrogen-rich water. Smith said the system would likely cover most of the garden's monthly water bill. Before installation, contractors will finish work on the building's gutters, and a holding tank will replace an old satellite dish.
The project is estimated at roughly $21,000. Smith said about $16,000 has been collected, including a grant from the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority that commissioners approved last week. The county is holding the funds and will hire a Fort Worth-area contractor, which submitted the lowest bid earlier this year, once the full amount is raised.