Workshops

Save $15 on the price of a rain barrel and learn how to make one yourself.

Sign up for class here:
http://ce.district196.org/Perficio/online/events/event_info.aspx?id=30896

Why Collect Rain Water?

Water issues can carry with them a variety of collateral damages. Drought conditions, along with municipal watering bans in the summer can be a major cause of lawns and gardens drying up. In the summer drought of 2007 there were even reports of municipal wells pumping air instead of water because the Jordan aquifer water level was so low. This is why municipalities are imposing stricter watering bans on their residents. These bans may be inconvenient to some, but are needed.

Rainwater can also be harmful to the environment as it runs off impervious surfaces such as streets and parking lot and rushes into the nearest storm drain. As it does this it will pick up oil, chemicals and other pollutants and eventually this ends up in our rivers, and lakes. Some studies estimate that as much a 70%of the pollution in surface water is caused by runoff. So, capturing as much rainwater as possible during the summer and saving it for later use is one way to lessen this problem.

Some studies report that up to 40% of a household’s total water use in the summer comes from lawn and garden watering. Instead of using city water that is treated with chemicals and is “hard” water in many areas, why not use soft water from Mother Nature? Yes, asphalt roofs may put some chemicals into the rainwater but it is free from chlorine and fluoride and other chemicals that city water often times contains.

A house with a 2,000 square foot roof can capture more than 1,000 gallons of water in just a one inch rainfall. Our area has an average annual rain ball of almost 24 inches from March-October. This means you could collect 24,000 gallons from many roofs during these months - if you have the storage capacity and systems to utilize it. (The average American uses about 97 gallons of water a day for outside use only!) Using this stored rainwater for later watering can have a big impact on the environment.

You may be familiar with the smaller wood barrels that were used in former years. Most companies now use some form of plastic or polyethylene drums. These drums have an advantage over the old wood barrels in that they don’t rot or rust like a metal drum would. In addition, they are easier to enclose to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs and children accidentally falling in.

The 55 gallon drums Renew Minnesota uses are currently from food and beverage manufacturers. These contained flavorings. These are refurbished drums that have been rinsed of there contents, not “virgin” drums. We use these types of drums so they don’t end up in landfills.

A note of caution: though free of chemicals from your water treatment plant, the water collected in these barrels pick up residue chemicals from your asphalt shingles and from any possible residue in the drum. Therefore, the water should be used in most cases for flowers, lawns, cars, and you should not drink the water from the barrels.

Having said that, Renew Minnesota is helping to reduce carbon creation by re-using these polyethylene drums.

Here is a helpful segment from WCCO News on why we should use rain barrels:

Minnesotans Turn To Old Technique To Fight Drought