Your Budget and the Environment Will Love Your Rain Barrels

We moved to a new house this year and finally have a yard that has enough plants and bushes that we actually have to water from time to time. Most of our neighbors have the same philosophy that we do about the grass. No one really waters, since the grass will easily grow back after a dry spell. The plants and bushes are another story. We have had an inordinate amount of rain this year. In between those really wet weeks, though, there were really hot weeks. My kids often left their sand buckets outside and they would be full after it rained. I wished I had a bigger version of that, so I could utilize the excessive amounts of water that went unused after those huge rainstorms. It was time for some rain barrels.

I read that watering gardens and lawns consumes a surprising 40 percent of the household water supply during the summer. 40 PERCENT! Capturing rain water with a system of rain barrels can decrease the demand on our municipal water supplies significantly. The state of Maryland estimates that a homeowner could save 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months by utilizing rain barrels. Clean water is one of our precious resources. It should be used wisely. City sewer infrastructures are more frequently overflowing during downpours, due to population increases. Rain barrels can decrease the demand on those systems. Rain water is also free. Harnessing rain water via rain barrels is the cheapest way to water your plants and lawn. If your town has certain times when you are allowed to water, your own supply in rain barrels gives you the option to water anytime you please. Rain water also does not contain chlorine, unlike public water sources.

Rain barrels attach to your gutters and downspouts and store the water for future use. Rain barrels come in all shapes and sizes with a wide price range. If your are looking for beauty in your barrel, more and more companies now offer gorgeous barrels that look like planters. I recommend child proofing your rain barrels, which means making sure all barrels have a secure top or are too narrow for a child to get inside. Many barrel intakes can be fitted with a filter to help keep mosquitoes at bay. Rain barrels with overflow hoses and a spout are also very handy.

If you are a homeowner, get some rain barrels. Even if you do not own your home, get your landlord on board and offer to install a barrel yourself. Help your bottom line and the world by installing some rain barrels. I am the ultimate recycler and am ashamed it took me so long to get on board.