Discover 6 good reasons why you should get a rain barrel today!
Water use in homes increases over the summer, which is mainly because of the amount of water we use to maintain our lawns and gardens. However, it’s during fall that most places get rainfall.
A recent PNAS report says that the average U.S. citizen has a water footprint of 2,842 m³ per year! Suffice it to say water and water conservation are becoming hot-button issues in the green community and even in mainstream politics.
While you may not think you can do much about the world’s current water crisis, every little bit really does count.
Luckily, there are many simple ways to help with the water crisis, including using a rain barrel at home.
Rain barrels and water tanks are incredibly easy to set up and use, and there are plenty of good reasons to use one. Here are six reasons you should consider one for your yard:
Top reasons to get a rain barrel
1. You’ll cut back on water usage for your lawn and garden
When you get a rain barrel, you can collect runoff during storms and rain, which you can then use on your lawn and garden, dramatically reducing the amount of water you use from your home water line during the summer months and beyond.
2. Rainwater is actually better for your plants
Even if you don’t have the greenest thumb, you can help your plants, shrubs, trees, and grass grow better by watering with collected rainwater. Plants love natural rainwater that isn’t chlorinated or fluoridated like municipal water normally is, so collected rainwater is the best choice for watering your plants.
Most plants are prone to chlorine toxicity, which makes rainwater better for your garden since it does not contain chlorine and other harmful chemicals used to treat piped water.
Indeed, plants look greener and lush after it rains. Air is almost 80 percent nitrogen – a key nutrient for plants. When the rain comes down with some of the nitrogen, it rejuvenates plants.
3. You can help minimize direct runoff
Direct runoff refers to the dramatic surface runoff of water that floods into sewers during rainy and snowy weather. In industrialized areas, all the concrete, houses, and other impermeable surfaces keep the rainwater from soaking into the ground where it lands, as it normally would.
When the water is, instead, flooding into the sewage system, the system can overload, resulting in major problems such as flooding downstream and leakages at local sewage treatment plants. By collecting the rainwater that lands on your roof, you can do your part to minimize these problems.
4. You’ll help create healthier drinking water and natural waterways
When rain falls in the middle of an uninhabited forest, even rain that has picked up pollutants can be cleaned out since most of the water will soak through the soil.
However, when rain runs along roofs, streets, and cars, it takes all those pollutants with it right into the natural waterways and drinking water treatment sites since the soil that would otherwise soak it up is covered.
By collecting rainwater, you can prevent some pollution of the waterways around your home.
5. You can actually collect tons of water
If you live in a relatively dry area, you may think that having a rain barrel is pointless because you’ll never get any water. However, it often takes less than an inch of rain to fill an entire rain barrel, depending on the size of your roof.
According to Water Wise, a 1,000-square-foot roof with just an inch of rainfall yields over 600 gallons of water!
6. You’ll save money
If you live in a city, chances are likely that you have to pay for your water usage, which makes rain barrels one great option for conserving water and saving money. Yet another reason to get a rain barrel.
With hundreds of gallons of rainwater from a single rainfall, you can use that water for your lawn and garden for weeks to keep things looking green – without ever tapping into your city water supply.
As you can see, having a rain barrel is a great option for families who are interested in conservation and being green.
While you can’t use water collected in a rain barrel for drinking, washing, or bathing, it will definitely offset your use of water in your lawn and garden.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for freshness and consistency.
