The rainy season is officially upon us. Conscious water use, however, is as important as ever. To reduce your water use this winter, consider installing a rain barrel.
Rain barrels are used to collect rainwater from rooftops and store it for later use in watering your garden. They allow you to supplement your water supply with a sustainable source and help preserve local watersheds by detaining rainfall.
Rain barrels can be purchased from many local hardware stores and online retailers, with prices generally starting around $80 for a 50-gallon unit. Rebates of up to $100 per rain barrel are currently available in San Mateo County, so you can install a rain barrel at your home or business for little or no net cost to you.
When you install a rain barrel, you are helping to maintain a healthy urban watershed by reducing the amount of drinking water used to irrigate your garden, and by reducing the amount of wet weather runoff that would otherwise drain to the public storm water system and ultimately go untreated into our creeks, bay, or the Pacific Ocean
If you have a roof area that drains to a downspout, a level surface on which to locate a rain barrel, and a landscaped area where you can use the captured water, a rain barrel may be a good option for you.
Visit www.BayAreaConservation.org to apply for a rain barrel rebate and get more information on other water conservation rebates available in your community.
