Water Conservation and Reuse Practices
Rain Barrels
What is a rain barrel?
A rain barrel is used to harvest the rain that drains from your roof to water your plants, flowers and gardens. Rainwater that falls onto your roof usually flows through your yard, washes
into the street, and eventually flows into a ditch or storm drain. By collecting what would have been washed away, you are able to use that water to irrigate. The benefit? You save money on your
water bill, help to conserve our water supply, and decrease stormwater runoff pollution.
(Photo courtesy of Upstate Forever)
How much can I collect?
For every inch of rain that falls on a “catchment area” (roof area with eaves) of 1,000 square feet, you can expect to collect approximately 600 gallons of rainwater.
Example: If your house has a catchment area of 1,500 square feet and it rains ¼ inch, you can collect 225 gallons of rainwater. You only need 55 gallons to fill a rain barrel!
If you multiply the above scenario over the course of a year,
and it rains 30 inches a year, you can collect 27,000 gallons of rainwater each year!
Rain Gardens
What is a rain garden?
A rain garden is a shallow, constructed depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. It is designed to receive runoff from impervious, hard surfaces such as parking lots,
roads and roofs, while also collecting rainwater from pervious surfaces like lawns. Rain gardens slow down the flow from these surfaces, hold the water for a short period of time, and allow it
to naturally infiltrate into the soil. This infiltration reduces the amount of runoff, and the native plants, mulch and soil in a rain garden combine with natural physical, chemical and biological
processes to filter out stormwater pollutants. Ultimately, this will decrease stream bank erosion and water pollution, helping to improve water quality and preserve our creeks, streams, rivers
and lakes.
(Photo courtesy of the City of Burnsville, MN and Barr Engineering Co.)
Why plant a rain garden?
Because of the use of native plants, rain gardens often need less maintenance, watering, fertilizers and pesticides than traditional gardens. This low-maintenance factor will save you
money on general upkeep, supplies and your water bill. In other words, by buying native vegetation and collecting and storing stormwater that would otherwise enter storm drains and ditches, rain
gardens create an attractive landscape that involves less watering and maintenance.
Additionally, rain gardens provide for natural infiltration of rainwater into the soil, they filter out pollutants such as fertilizer, oil and other chemicals, while reducing peak storm flows, helping to reduce stream bank erosion, and lowering your property’s risk of minor flooding.
Center for Neighborhood Technology Field Guide for Water Reuse