Use a rain barrel in your yard and garden to capture and reuse rainwater. (It’s free!) Not only does this help not overload the stormwater system, but by reducing the amount of potable water you use watering your lawn, the lower your utility bill.
To find a rain barrel, be sure to check your local hardware or garden store, or search the words “rain barrel” or “cistern” online and you should find a long list of vendors.
Want to build one?
- Try contacting companies that use barrels or large containers to store bulk food items. Large beverage and food processors are the kind of companies that work best. Some will charge while others will gladly give you their leftover containers.
- Don’t use containers that have been used for products toxic to plants and soil – including acids and oils. Even if the containers have been completely rinsed, most plastics retain and emit the residues that are harmful to your garden–sometimes even sterilizing your soil.
- You can find faucet attachments and downspout re-routing pieces in the plumbing and home care section of your local hardware store.
- Once you have all the parts together, don’t forget to install your barrels on a raised platform that can withstand the weight of the barrels filled with water (every gallon of water weighs about 8.5 pounds). The added height of the raised platform will help you get the last drop out of your rain barrels.
Rain barrels in the news
Saving up for those not-so-rainy summers (The News Tribune, 4/16/2005)
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