The Ecological Benefits of Using a Rain Barrel

Catching rainwater as it falls is an age old idea. The concept of a rain barrel and other types of rain catchers has been in use as long as agriculture... which is thousands of years. However, during the last decades, home owners have become more and more reliant on their city's water services. Unfortunately, using falling rainwater is no longer widely done.

Every household with a budget to follow (and some concern for the environment) cares about preserving water. But many of those very same people do not even know about the existence of a rain barrel. A bulky, specially designed container, a rain barrel simply collects rainwater. These barrels are placed under your roof's drain downspout. When rain falls on the roof of your home, it is swept into your roofs gutters and out through its downspout. This allows you to collect large amounts of rain water as it falls.

Environmental Benefits of Using a Rain Barrel

Reduced toxins in rivers. Did you know that, though rain is good for an ecosystem, it can be bad for the environment? When rain falls, it flows through our city streets before being carried to creeks and rivers. In this process, rainwater picks up toxins, such as pesticides, pet waste, oil, etc. If you collect some of that rainwater instead of allowing it to flow away, you can reduce the pollution of our rivers.

Reduced water usage. Of course, the most significant effect of using a rain barrel is the reduced water usage. During the summer season a homeowner can spend as much as 40 percent of his or her monthly water bill on watering a lawn. Because of this, there are yearly water shortages in many cities nationwide, with rationing programs and overuse fines. If you collect rainwater, however, you can both keep your grass and garden green, and free up more water for your community.

Reduced power usage. We all know that reducing the amount of energy we use to power our homes is important for the environment. But many of us do not consider the power usage implied by using municipal water. When we use water directly from our pipes, that water must be cleaned, filtered, and pumped all the way to us. There are countless processes in water processing that use up energy and, unfortunately, harm the environment.

With the use of a rain barrel, you can recycle rainwater to save thousands of gallons of water and create a ready made source of water for your plants, lawn, or day to day jobs. Pretty much the only thing you cannot do with collected rainwater is drink it. Otherwise, rain barrel water is great for washing your car, watering your garden... and doing your part to protect the environment.