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Ribbon Cutting For Dr. Missy’s Vet MobileHarvesting Rain—The New GoldThe Bulverde /Spring Branch Chamber welcomed their newest member, Dr. Missy’s Vet Mobile, with a ribbon cuttingceremony on December 15, 2022. For more information, visit www.drmissyvetmobile. com or call (830) 730-3712.Ribbon Cutting For Elk Contracting Roofing & Exterior SolutionsABy Dr. Larry Sunn and Dr. Steven GraingerThe Bulverde / Spring Branch Chamber wel- comed their newest member, Elk Contract- ing Roofing and Exterior Solutions with a ribbon cutting ceremony on December 6,2022. They are located at 28786 US 281, Suite 103, Bulverde, TX 78163. For more in- formation visit www.elkcontracting.com or call (210) 701-6908.lthough close to three-fourths of our planet is made of water, not all of it is suitable for domesticuse. The water in the oceans and seas cannot be used as drinking water and little of it can be utilized for other purposes. As a result, there are shortages of water good for drinking or for home and agricultural use. Throughout all of recorded time, areas that have faced water shortages were able to combat this problem by harvesting what little rain they received. This slowly started spreading to areas where there was plenty of rainfall. As a result, the modern-day rain harvesting system has evolved into one of efficiency and abundance. Our periodic Texas droughts, such as the one this year, mandate that we at least explore rain capturing as an alternative to pumping the limited supply of groundwater. Make no mistake, groundwater tables are declining at alarming rates.The Comal Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (CTGCD) is working with an action committee comprised of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Dr. Steven Grainger, Dr. Larry Sunn, and the Comal Master Gardener (CMG) Association, to promote rain capture, thereby reducing stress on our Trinity and Edwards aquifers. They work with banks, developers, builders, and Rain Bees (you and your neighbors) to explore whole-house alternatives to skyrocketing costs and inconsistencies associated with water purveyors or groundwater well systems.Whether in buckets, barrels, or large tanks, capturing rain for your home or landscaping use is an established alternative water supply approach anyone can use. Rain harvesting captures, diverts, and stores collected rainwater for later use. Implementing rain harvesting is beneficial because it reduces demand on existing water supplies, and in doing so, it decreases run-off, erosion, and contamination of surface water. Rainwater can be used for nearly any purpose that requires water. Arain harvesting system can widely range in size, cost, and complexity. All systems have similar basic components, including a catchment surface, conveyance structure, storage system, distribution method, and for potable purposes, a treatment procedure.To reduce the extraction of our groundwater, many Hill Country neighbors are installing or switching to rain harvesting systems. Like the many harvesting systems of these forward-thinking homeowners, an inexpensive rain capture system can be used as your sole or primary source of drinking water.The best thing about rainwater is that it is free from pollutants as well as salts, minerals, and other natural and man-made contaminants. In times of excess rainfall, the surplus rainwater will overflow and can be used to recharge groundwater through artificial rain garden or surface swale recharge techniques.If you’d like additional information on designing a system—large or small— become a Rain Bee and visit the website at https://www.rainbees.com/. You may also contact Dr. Sunn and Dr. Grainger at comaltrinitygcdsecretary@gmail.com or SaveWater@comalmg.com, respectively; their no-cost consulting services are offered to Hill Country residents compliments of the CTGCD and CMG. They do not sell anything, nor do they push any products; their consulting is offered as a public service to residents of Comal and surrounding counties to help relieve stress from our aquifers. You can visit their home rain harvesting site to view a working system, or they will meet with you at your site to discuss rain harvesting alternatives regarding system design, capture rates and losses, tank sizes, costs, or even area installers of turnkey systems. Working together we can help reduce stress on our aquifers, and we can help you obtain low-cost, sustainable, safe water for your home.Ribbon Cutting For Canyon Lake Animal Shelter SocietyThe Bulverde/ Spring Branch Chamber welcomed their newest member, Canyon Lake Animal Shelter Society, with a ribbon cuttingceremonyonNovember1,2022.Theyare located at 2170 Old Sattler Rd, Canyon Lake, TX 78133. For more information, visit www.canyonlakeanimalshelter.com (830) 899-2527.Ribbon Cutting For The Shilling Insurance GroupThe Bulverde/ Spring Branch Chamber wel- comed their newest member, The Schilling Insurance Group, with a ribbon cutting cer- emony on October 25, 2022.For more information, visit www.schillingin- surancegroup.com or call(210) 393-8857.10www.bsbhighlights.comFebruary 2023