RICHARDSON – Catching rainwater and using it to irrigate the lawn has become a bigger deal than a Richardson man ever expected.

Bill Burke's backyard is beautiful.

"Oh, it's why I bought the place! I didn't care what the house looked like. I bought the yard!” Burke said, laughing.

But his new idea to water his lawn is easier said than done. He wants to catch rainwater in several big tanks then use it during the summer to irrigate the grass.

"Oil's not cheap and free. At some point water won't be either,” he said. “So start making better use of it instead of letting it run off."

Bill Burke thinks a rainwater harvester can save 8,000 gallons of city water. But the City of Richardson is not making it easy to implement.

The city admits this is a good idea but Burke can not install it without first applying for a special permit, paying $1,500 in fees, and having two public hearings. The problem is the City of Richardson's current zoning ordinance does not allow rainwater collection systems on residential lots.

"I don't think municipalities mean to be making impossible for homeowners to do this. I just don't think they've caught up with homeowners wanting to do it,” explained Dotty Woodson, a Texas A&M Water Resources expert.

She said rainwater harvesters are becoming more popular in yards of all sizes in Texas.

Austin offers $500 rebates.

San Antonio pays up to half the costs of a system but not North Texas.

Bill Burke has discovered going green, at least in Richardson, still comes with a cost.

E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com.