Helping The Environment With Rain Barrels

In the midst of the worldwide concern for the environment, the issue of water conservation is one that has been brought to the forefront. If you are presently undergoing a water crisis...or even if you have more water than you know what to do with for that matter...rain barrels can offer a number of benefits with regard to your water consumption as well as the environment.

Rain barrels serve to help you collect rainwater and utilize it for your daily needs, which is an important concern with water being quite scarce in many areas nowadays. Aside from helping you significantly reduce your water consumption, the water you collect in rain barrels is also ideally suited for a number of uses. Rainwater is generally free of pollutants and is naturally soft, and plants in particular benefit greatly from watering with rainwater.

By using rain barrels, you can also save a lot of money that you would normally spend on bills for water that you use from the water provider in your area. If you live in a place that regularly experiences water shortages, rain barrels will also greatly decrease your dependence on the local water supply. With rain barrels, you will be able to water the lawn whenever you want and generally be free from the restrictions that so many people in water scarce areas face.

Most people start out with rain barrels improvised from common items such as cans and barrels. Ready made rain barrels that are available from stores do a much better job at collecting rainwater however. 55 gallon sizes are what you will most likely see in the stores, although numerous other sizes are available as well. Many of these commercially available rain barrels also include features such as spouts and faucets for connecting to other gardening implements. To help keep the collected rainwater clean and free from contaminants, some rain barrels may also have screens built onto them. And if you want to have even more rainwater available for use, you can look into rain barrels that are designed to hook up to other rain barrels, increasing the amount of water that you are able to collect.

It is clear that rain barrels can have a greatly beneficial impact on your water consumption...and consequently, your impact on the environment...as well as reducing the amount of money that you spend on water utility bills. Using rain barrels at home will also help educate your children on how to save water, and possibly give them a lesson in water conservation that they will carry with them for a lifetime.