Summer is almost here and plant life everywhere are in bloom - soon this heat is going to require us to start watering our potted plants, lawns, and gardens.  But before you reach for the hose and sprinkler, consider installing a rain barrel or two.  Rain barrels are water catchment systems that allow one to utilize rain water for outdoor uses such as gardening and lawn irrigation, rather than turning on a hose and using treated water for such purposes.  Most often rain barrels take the form of large plastic containers.  These containers are connected to the downspouts of gutters that collect the rain that runs off of the roofs of houses.  A properly positioned hose uses gravity to move water from the barrel to the watering location and a screen on top keeps debris from collecting inside the barrel.     

Rain barrels have many benefits, both for the consumer and the stream ecosystem.  Most obvious is the reduction in the amount of water usage by the homeowner.  Backyard gardens and lawns use large amounts of water, especially in the spring and summer months.  In fact, outdoor water usage increases by up to 50% during this time.  The outdoor water used in the garden and around the yard does not need to come from a treated source such as a municipal water supply.  Rather than placing an additional burden on our water resources, rain barrels use water that would otherwise go unused and flow into streams or stormwater retention basins.

A second benefit to using rain barrels is reducing the runoff into the local streams.  Most of the rain that runs off of houses makes its way into streams and rivers via storm drains.  By reducing the water quality, eroding important habitat features, and depositing sediment onto the streambed, this runoff can be very detrimental to the health of streams and the salmon living in them.  Having a rain barrel for your home keeps some of the excess runoff out of streams and improves conditions for salmon.

There are many websites devoted to rain barrels and a quick internet search will yield dozens of designs available, as well as plans for building your own rain barrel system. Check out the City of Bellingham's site here.