Get A Rain Barrel For Water’s Sake
Do you have a rain barrel for your home?
More and more homeowners are using rain barrels to conserve water while collecting soft, non-chlorinated rainwater to nourish grass and plants.
This weekend, in Calgary, Canada, Clean Calgary Association, in partnership with the City of Calgary, will hold its 8th Annual Rain Barrel Sale.
With spring coming, local residents there are thinking about their lawns and gardens. Water usage in Calgary doubles in the spring and summer due largely to lawn irrigation.
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Last year, the Clean Calgary Association sold 1,600+ rain barrels in two hours. All proceeds from the rain barrel sale support the non-profit organization’s community environmental programs.
The association is committed to helping Calgarians create healthy homes and communities through environmental education, programs and services.
Clean Calgary Association explains:
“Rain barrels are used to catch water flowing from your eavestrough. Using this water instead of tap water is an easy and economical way to help you maintain a healthy yard. Using a rain barrel means that less water needs to treated, cutting down on water waste and reducing demand on water treatment facilities, which in the end saves us all money.”
Rain barrels also keep water out of sewers and rivers which decrease the possibility of flooding. According to the City of Calgary ,rain barrels can fill quickly. The city’s research shows 2.5 centimeter rainfall on a 93 square meter roof can provide 2,000 litres of water.
Image courtesy of Clean Calgary Association
I agree with you Sonya, I had my house reworked last so I could trap rain water. The system is working great and I am going to save more money because I will the water for washing cars, watering my garden and grass. My perfect solution…every homeowner should invest.http://www.go-green-live-long.com
Just having a rain barrel is not nearly good enough. If it is open to the air it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitos and West Nile virus carrying mosquitos. It needs to be captured and pumped to a cistern system that can be used as a reservoir of clean, soft water, and not open to bio-fauna.
Collecting rainwater for my bucket garden is a great way to help conserve water.
I too created a rain barrel using a vinyl trashcan and a few tools.
It cost about 10 bucks and is working nicely. You can take a look at my step by step pictures if interested.
http://gravitygarden.com/rainbucket/?page_id=46
Gravity Gardener..