Why use drinking water to irrigate your lawn when you could use [free] rain water? From the months of April through October, the Kansas City metro gets an average of 4.2 inches of rain per month. Doesn't sound like much? Consider this: according to rainkc.com it only takes approximately 1/4 inch of rain to fill up a 55 gallon rain barrel at an average-sized home.
So, working through the math, an average house can capture approximately 924 gallons of water per month! More than enough to keep the lawn green throughout summer.
Installing rain barrels
Installing a rain barrel is a simple do-it-yourself project. It involves diverting your downspouts into barrels around your home and then having a way to extract the water for your irrigation purposes. That's basically it. Within the Kansas City metro, Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Bridging the Gap sell plastic rain barrel kits as well as provide workshops on installing the rain barrels. The ReStore has workshops set for the second and fourth Saturday of each month at 10:30 am, and Bridging the Gap has one more workshop available on August 5th from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Click the links for more details.
Types of rain barrels
Plastic is not the only material from which to choose. Other materials include:
Wood: Usually made from old whiskey or wine barrels. Theses are typically more expensive, but also more decorative.
Galvanized metal: Usually larger in size for people that may need more storage than what can be provided in the typical 55 gallon barrels.
Nylon: Also known as "knock-down" type. These are made from durable weather-resistant nylon and can be stored away when not in use. These come pre-assembled, so you only have to put it under your down spouts.
Ceramic clay or stone: These are smaller barrels that can be highly decorative and placed in your garden or a more inconspicuous location.
Adding rain barrels to your home helps to reduce runoff from your property, reduces your water consumption bill, and provides great nutrients to plants (no chemicals from the treatment plant). Installing the barrels is easy, cheap, and eco-friendly.
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