Green Options » rain barrel

Rain barrels illegal in Colorado, but tide may be changing

Stephen Boles — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:44:17 +0000

Every now and then I come across a law that just doesn’t make sense, either from an environmental standpoint or a logical one. For instance, until last year the province of Ontario had a ban on clotheslines in order to ‘preserve the aesthetics of residential areas’. Thankfully this law was overturned several months ago, but similar bans are still in effect in many municipalities across North America.

I came across an equally inane law this past week - the ban on collection of rainwater in the state of Colorado. This law has historical ties, as Colorado long ago developed a system whereby a group of individuals or corporations referred to as ‘downstream water-owners’ had rights to a certain amount of flow from a reservoir, stream, or aquifer. The harvesting of rain by non water-owner Colorado residents is prohibited because it is considered water theft, even when the water is falling on their own property. Basically a rain barrel is depriving a downstream water-owner of the full flow to which they are legally entitled. Kevin Lusk, water supply engineer of Colorado Springs Utilities, explains:

All the water was spoken for here in the Arkansas Basin 100 years ago or more. If the water falls as rain, that’s water that was going to get to the stream system, and somebody already has dibs on it, and if somebody intercepts that, its the same as stealing.

Thankfully this law, which carries with it a $500 fine for an installed residential rain barrel, is rarely enforced. But even if the authorities are looking in the other direction, there would still be a large number of people that are hesitant to install rain barrels for fear of being subject to a fine.

Are rain barrels really that threatening to the delicate water balance of the water cycle in this arid state? A key point is that rain barrels are not a permanent removal of water from the system. Rain barrel owners are not collecting rain water and transporting it out of the watershed for their own personal gain. Barrels are temporary reservoirs where rain water is held before it is used for watering flower beds, gardens, or lawns, after which it will inevitably return to the ground water system.

And what is the alternative to rain barrel use? Colorado residents that do not have a rain barrel will be using water from the municipal water system for landscape maintenance (unless they are on a well). Treated potable water is not necessary for watering lawns and gardens - rain barrels would help to take pressure off of municipal water supplies in a state that suffers from chronic water shortages and increasing demands.

Two new recent pieces of legislation indicate that Colorado may be starting to embrace the rain barrel concept. The laws are restricted to well owners and a number of new residential developments in the state, but they are going to be used to assess the viability of larger-scale rain barrel allowances in the future.

Image: _ES at flickr under a CC License

Stephen Boles is co-founder of Kuzuka, a marketplace website that brings a new level of convenience and confidence to carbon offset customers and provide consulting services to organizations that want to assess and reduce their carbon footprint.

5 DIY Gardening Projects

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:27:04 +0000

This year, I’ve undertaken a new endeavor: I’ve started a vegetable garden. It’s an ongoing process — no harvest yet, of course — but I’m already looking forward to fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupe, and beans that will be transported about 15 feet from garden to kitchen.

In the process, I’ve come across a number of intriguing DIY projects for growing your own food. Here are five that can help make gardening easier and, maybe, more productive.

The raised bed planter: This project is at the heart of the method I’m using for my garden — Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening system. I used leftover bricks for mine, but there are lots of different materials you could (re)use to build a garden space (and avoid the digging!). GO’s Kelli Best-Oliver contributed one great plan for this.

The upside-down planter: Yes, I’m fascinated with the Topsy Turvy, but am going to try making my own out of reused 2-litre soda bottles. I’ve found a number of different plans available online that make use of a variety of containers.

Read more of this story »

Get A Rain Barrel For Water’s Sake

Sonya — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:00:33 +0000

Do you have a rain barrel for your home?

More and more homeowners are using rain barrels to conserve water while collecting soft, non-chlorinated rainwater to nourish grass and plants.

This weekend, in Calgary, Canada, Clean Calgary Association, in partnership with the City of Calgary, will hold its 8th Annual Rain Barrel Sale.

With spring coming, local residents there are thinking about their lawns and gardens. Water usage in Calgary doubles in the spring and summer due largely to lawn irrigation.

Read more of this story »

St. Louis Sewer District Sells Rain Barrels Through APRIL 3

Adam Williams — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:22:43 +0000

The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) in St. Louis, Mo., is selling rain barrels through 5 p.m. on April 3.

As of the end-of-business on Thursday more than 1,000 barrels had been ordered, according to the office personnel handling the orders. A news story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch laid out the general information this way:

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is offering its customers the opportunity to help take the burden off those creeks — and its storm water system — by purchasing 55-gallon rain barrels to collect and store rainwater that would otherwise flow into a storm drain.
Read more of this story »

10 Simple Ways to Conserve Water

Marika Collins — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:24:26 +0000

Sunday March 22, 2009 is World Water Day. With the world water crisis representing one of the most significant public health issues facing the world today, we need to find ways to conserve this precious resource now more than ever.

The UN expects that 3.4 billion people will be living in countries defined as water-scarce by 2025. When water is scarce, people are forced to consume contaminated water.

Here are ten simple things you can do to cut down on your water consumption today:

Read more of this story »

Build Your Own Plastic Bottle Greenhouse

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:11:36 +0000

Do you have tons of plastic bottles lying around your house and excess backyard space? If so, you might want to look into building a plastic bottle greenhouse. The greenhouse idea was devised and brought to life by Blue Rock Station. For $5 (the electronic version is $4), you can buy instructions to build one yourself.

Read more of this story »

Boy’s Life Features Green DIY Projects

Wenona Napolitano — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:03:39 +0000

If you have a cub scout or boy scout yor probably receive Boy’s Life Magazine. For the past several issues, they’ve had green topics featured: green vehicles, ocean and reef conservation, eco-friendly fun, and sporting green.

The newest edition, September 2008, features a whole section called “Be a Green Guy”. It has five projects, some of which my family is definitely going to be trying out (both guys and gals).

Read more of this story »

Weekly DIY: Rain Barrels

Philip Proefrock — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:15:19 +0000

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Redmond

I've been wanting to put in a couple of rain barrels at my house this year. We put in some garden plants this weekend, and they are going to need to be watered. Rain barrels are great because they help conserve water and cut down the amount of potable water that needs to be used. Rain barrels are commercially available for around $100 (or more). These are more "decorative" (if you find a piece of plastic molded with a wood barrel pattern decorative), but with a drill, some silicone sealant, and a couple of basic parts, you can build a rain barrel of your own.

It is important to remember that this is not drinking water that you are collecting. Without further treatment, there are too many possible problems, from dust and dirt to chemicals (from roof materials) to microorganisms that may colonize an available water supply. There are rainwater catchment systems that are designed for potable water use. These are more involved, and need to have other elements in the system beyond what is being discussed here.

It is also important to make sure to prevent the standing water from becoming a mosquito breeding facility, either by closing the barrel with a screen (like a window screen) or by using mosquito dunks (a time release tablet that contains a bacterial agent that kills mosquito larvae, but do not affect people, fish, animals or plants).

Rain barrels can collect a surprisingly large amount of water. "For every 1000 square feet of roof space being used to capture rain you can expect to catch around 600 gallons from one inch of rain fall (at a theoretical 100% catch rate). Some larger roofs can easily be 2000+ square feet." (The Sietch) Conversely, if you have a 100 square foot garden, you can figure that you will want to supply 60 gallons of water for every inch of rainfall you are trying to make up. So if you collect and use five 55-gallon barrels of rainwater, that's approximately 5" of additional effective rainfall that you've supplied to your garden. With a typical 55-gallon barrel size, you are only likely to capture a fraction of the total water that falls on your roof. But this could be increased by putting barrels at several corners, to capture the rainfall at multiple downspouts.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth RedmondBuilding the barrel is mostly a matter of cutting plastic. Using a wide bore drill bit or a hole saw is the best way to cut the plastic. A good silicone sealant for submerged use can seal the spigot installation if it leaks excessively.

You need to install a hole in the lid as an inlet for the water coming from the downspout, a hole in the side with a valve, near the bottom, so that you can drain the water out when you are ready to water your plants, and a hole near the top, for an overflow, to control the water if the barrel gets completely full.

The following instructions are taken from the Center for Watershed Protection directions:

STEP 1. Cut Holes in Barrel

Cut lower drain hole

Measure about 1 inch above the bottom of the barrel where the barrel side begins to rise toward the top. Using a 3/4" bit (or hole saw), drill a hole through the barrel.

Cut upper drain hole

Mark the upper drain hole according to where you want the overflow to be located in relationship to the lower drain. Use a 1-5/8" hole saw to cut out the overflow hole.

Cut top hole for atrium grate (filter)

Using the atrium grate as a template for size, mark a circle at the center of the top of the drum (locating the rainwater inlet in the center of the barrel lets you pivot the barrel without moving the downspout). Drill a 1/2" hole inside of the marked circle. Use a router, jigsaw or coping saw to cut until the hole is large enough to accommodate the atrium grate, which filters out large debris. Don’t make the hole too big – you want the flange of the atrium grate to fit securely on the top of the barrel without falling in.

Cut notch to hold hose

Using a 1/2" bit or hole saw, cut out a notch at the top of the barrel rim (aligned so that it is above the lower drain hole). The notch should be large enough so that the end of the hose with the adapter will firmly snap into place.

STEP 2. Set Up Barrel and Modify Downspout

Set up barrel

Since water will only flow from the garden hose when the hose is below the barrel, place the barrel on high ground or up on cinder blocks or a sturdy wooden crate underneath your downspout.

Modify your downspout

Cut your existing downspout using a saw so that the end can be placed over the top of your rain barrel. Use a 3” vinyl downspout elbow to connect the two downspout pieces (or use a downspout adapter and a piece of corrugated plastic pipe). Trim the end of the downspout if necessary.

STEP 3. Assemble Parts

Attach garden hose to lower drain hole

Screw in the 1/2" PVC male adapter to the lower drain hole. The hard PVC threads cut matching grooves into the soft plastic of the barrel. Unscrew the 1/2" PVC male adapter from the hole. Wrap threads tightly with teflon tape (optional). Coat the threads of the coupler with waterproof sealant (optional). Screw the coated adapter back into the hole and let it sit and dry for 24 hours (optional). Attach 5’ foot garden hose to the PVC male adapter. Attach the 3/4" x 1/2" PVC male adapter to the other end of the hose (this can be readily adapted to fit a standard garden hose).

Attach drain hose to upper drain hole

Put the 1-1/4" male threaded coupling inside the barrel with the threads through the hole. From the outside, screw the 1-1/4" female barbed fitting onto the threaded coupling. Use silicone on the threads (optional). Attach 5’ section of drain hose to upper fitting.

Place atrium grate and screen in top hole

Using PVC glue, secure a piece of fine mesh window screen inside or outside of the atrium grate to filter out debris and control mosquitoes (optional). Place the atrium grate into the hole (basket down).

Position the downspout

Position the end of your downspout so it drains onto the atrium grate on the rain barrel.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth RedmondIt is possible to increase your storage capacity by connecting two (or even more) barrels together at the bottom, so that they fill up equally during a rainfall. Unless you are in an area subject to strong downpours, this is probably not a concern for most uses, and the water will evaporate faster if there is more surface area, as having the water in two half-full barrels instead of a single, full barrel.

Getting the barrels can take a little digging, but there are many sources for finding them. Rain barrels have been getting a lot of local attention recently, and I'm still waiting to get a barrel from my source. Some possible sources for free or inexpensive barrels include soda bottlers (syrup), car washes (soap), and food preparation facilities (bulk foods). The local water treatment plant here gets bulk loads of chemicals which they use for treating the water. The leftover 55-gallon plastic drums are then available to local residents for use as rain barrels. Bio-diesel enthusiasts are also looking to get the same barrels to store their stock, so the competition for these barrels is heating up. Our bio-diesel maven, Ryan Thibodaux, was very helpful in pointing out some of these suggested sources for finding barrels. And Elizabeth Redmond provided the photos of her own rain barrel setup.

Further information:
Center for Watershed Protection
The Sietch
DIY Network
Leavesdance