Are rain barrels practical? April 21, 2006
Question Are rain barrels practical?
Answer A rain barrel is a container that collects and stores rainwater from your rooftop. Using gravity and a valve, the water can be released on the lawn or garden when necessary. Water collected in a rain barrel would normally flow through the downspout and be considered runoff. Most rain barrels are constructed from some type of recycled 50 gallon container. However, there is a tremendous range in size (water holding capacity) and price of these systems.
Only 1/4 inch of rainfall runoff from the average roof will completely fill a typical 50 gallon barrel. For every inch of rain that falls on a 1,000 square foot roof, approximately 600 gallons of rainwater could be collected. Visit this website to see how much water could be saved during the growing months - http://countrystudies.us/united-states/weather/
Catching rain for reuse is not a new concept. Folks in Thailand have used clay pots to catch rainwater for nearly 2000 years. There are two factors that are likely to help us consider implementing this practice. These factors are scarcity and price. Economic professors teach us that scarcity and price are directly linked together. If you want a basic lesson in economics, then visit your local gas pump.
North Carolina is suffering from lack of rain. Weather patterns certainly run through cycles. Hurricanes this fall may or may not replenish our lakes and ponds. In the mean time, the water level drops. Regardless of the weather patterns, more and more demands are placed on our water supply. Water conservation is an issue that everybody will have to deal with at some point.
The price of water is sure to rise. As the old saying goes, "you don’t know the value of water until the well is running dry." The price of a rain barrel ranges from dirt cheap (make it yourself) to staggering. More than likely the price of rain barrels will rise as the lake levels drop.
Landscapes of the future do not have to look like southwest Texas. However, homeowners need to make conscious choices. The use of mulch and drought resistant plants is obvious. Homeowners also need to know how to use water efficiently - inside and outside the house. Alternative solutions like rain barrels will be as common in the future as gutters are today.
If you have any questions about rain barrels, then visit this website http://sarasota.extension.ufl.edu/Hort/Pubs/Rainbarrel.htm If you have any questions about making your landscape more efficient, then call the Cooperative Extension Office at 893-7533, write us at PO Box 1089, Lillington, NC 27546, or email me at gary_pierce@ncsu.edu
It’s a shame that New Orleans isn’t closer to North Carolina. That city makes a perfect rain barrel. | 
