what is a rain barrel?
Rain barrels are containers that collect and store rainwater to be used for watering plants, cleaning yard equipment, or topping off a swimming pool. Rain water is usually soft and very good for your indoor and outdoor plants. Rain barrels help manage the stormwater that runs off our roofs, driveways and roads. This water picks up pollutants and rushes into our waterways, eroding stream banks and causing pollution concerns. If collected in a rain barrel, stormwater can be released slowly, giving it time to seep into our soil as groundwater. Rain barrels can be designed to fit in nicely with your house and landscaping. There are endless possibilities!
The Conservancy hosts several rain barrel workshops each year!
rain barrel benefits:
Saves money spent on household water use. Rain water is FREE!
Provides plants with soft water, free of chlorine, lime or calcium.
Conserves water for use during droughts.
Helps to mitigate the problem of stormwater runoff.
Reduces flooding on your property (and your downhill neighbor's).
Parts of a rain barrel:
Barrel - must be food-grade, make sure you know what your recycled barrel used to hold! For safety, the suggested size is 55 gallons.
Downspout - adjusted to the height of your barrel, or attached to a downspout adapter to connect to your barrel.
Inlet - a downspout-sized opening in the lid of the barrel, receiving water from your downspout. A fine screen should cover this opening to keep out mosquitoes and debris.
Faucet - located near the bottom of your barrel to release water for use. You can attach a gardening hose here. Placing the barrel on a raised base allows gravity to increase the pressure in the hose.
Overflow - an escape route for excess water when your barrel is full. This should be located near the top of the barrel and direct water away from your foundation. This could flow into a rain garden!