Description of Challenge
Rain barrels save homeowners money on their water bills. Healthy Plants and Soil: Tap water contains inorganic ions and fluoride compounds that accumulate in the soil over time and potentially harm plant roots and microorganisms in the soil. Rainwater does not contain the same additives found in tap water. It benefits plants in your garden by cleaning the soil of salt buildup, thereby promoting an environment conducive to root development. It also helps in the reduction of runoff.A rain barrel is used to collect and store rainwater from a roof or rain gutter that would otherwise be diverted into the stormwater system. Water stored in a rain barrel can be used to irrigate lawns, gardens, and potted plants and for grey water systems (e.g. for toilet water). Rain barrels can be installed individually or as a component of a rain garden.
Solution
A rain barrel is a water tank used to collect and store rain water runoff, typically from rooftops via rain gutters. A collection system can yield 623 gallons (2358 litres) of water from 1 inch of rain on a 1,000 square feet (93 m2) roof. Rainwater tanks are devices for collecting and maintaining harvested rain.
Rainwater tanks are installed to make use of rain water for later use, reduce mains water use for economic or environmental reasons, and aid self-sufficiency.
Stored water may be used for watering gardens, agriculture, flushing toilets, in washing machines, washing cars, and also for drinking, especially when other water supplies are unavailable, expensive, or of poor quality, and that adequate care is taken that the water is not contaminated or the water is adequately filtered.
In ground rainwater tanks can also be used for retention of stormwater for release at a later time. In arid climates, rain barrels are often used to store water during the rainy season for use during dryer periods.
Rainwater tanks may have a high (perceived) initial cost. However, many homes use small scale rain barrels to harvest smaller quantities of water for landscaping/gardening applications rather than as a potable water surrogate. These small rain barrels, often recycled from food storage and transport barrels or, in some cases, whiskey and wine aging barrels, are often inexpensive. There are also many low cost designs that use locally available materials and village level technologies for applications in developing countries where there are limited alternatives for potable drinking water. While most are properly engineered to screen out mosquitoes, the lack of proper filtering or closed loop systems may create breeding grounds for larvae.
