As spring and gardening season begin, some Western Pennsylvanians are setting up a tool to harness the results of April showers: rain barrels.
Generally placed below a downspout with a small spigot at the bottom, the barrels collect rainwater, keeping it from becoming runoff and storing it for practical use later. Though many craft custom rain barrels, prefabricated ones ready for use are often found in big box stores like Home Depot for about $75.
The seemingly mundane devices offer a variety of benefits, according to Penn State Extension water resources educator Justin Mansberger.
During warmer months, 25%-30% of daily water is used outside, said Mansberger, 30. But with access to natural water storage like a barrel, he said, consumers can save money by relying less on the hose.
Many use the water to tend to flower gardens, while others might wash cars, pets or house exteriors, Mansberger said. Though it is common to use the water for vegetables, Mansberger cautioned users to consult a Department of Environmental Protection-approved lab to test the water for harmful chemicals on some roofs before watering crops.
The educator holds frequent workshop sessions — sometimes in collaboration with municipalities like Irwin or North Huntingdon — to explain the utility of the barrels and help new users piece them together. In recent years, he said, he has noticed an enhanced interest in the barrels among the public, and his sessions often are entirely full.
With the many streams and floodplains of Western Pennsylvania, Mansberger said, the barrels are also an important tool in combating potential erosion, sedimentation and pollution caused by runoff into water systems.
“Rain barrels are great because they basically capture the rainwater before it can even become stormwater,” he said.
Hampton resident Amber Lynch’s barrel is mostly a useful tool for watering her small flower garden, saving her the time of making several trips to the tap.
Growing up in Brookville, Lynch said, her family had several rain barrels on their property. But she only began using one recently after she won it as a prize in a drawing.
For seven years, Hampton has given away two rain barrels a year to residents, according to Assistant Manager Susan Bernet. Lynch was one of last spring’s winners.
The program has been “very positive,” Bernet said, and more than 300 residents already have put their names in for this year’s drawing.
The barrel, Lynch said, is also a favorite of her dog, who likes to snag a drink from it on hot summer days.
“It’s always nice to be able to use the water that way rather than using your direct water source,” Lynch said.
For Carrie Lucci, 58, of Murrysville, that direct water source is a well.
Starting with one barrel several years ago to water her plants, Lucci said, she bought a second after her well pump broke. While she still mostly uses the barrels for gardening, the stored water also acts as a backup source for flushing toilets and other uses in the case of well issues, she said.
Her barrels, she said, are daisy chained together so that, when one barrel fills, it simply flows into the next one — a common practice among users.
“There’s not really much in setting it up, and there’s not really anything in maintenance,” Lucci said.
Come winter months, she said, she simply leaves the spigots open so built-up ice does not expand and crack the barrels.
That is a lesson Amanda Pagnotta, an Oakmont resident and member of the borough council, learned the hard way. Last winter, her barrel cracked beyond repair, but she recently acquired a new one.
In her household, she said, it was her 9-year-old son, James, who initially became interested in rain barrels.
For a second-grade project at Tenth Street Elementary School, James was tasked with coming up with a way to better his community. Noticing some of the flood-prone areas of Oakmont like his soccer field at Creekside Park, James began researching rain barrels.
A year later, after obtaining more than 150 signatures from his peers, adults and local elected officials for a petition, James presented his goal to Oakmont Borough Council. The now-third-grader wants to bring 125 rain barrels to his community, which he estimates will save more than 150,000 gallons of water per year.
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“It’s easy to do. You just need to connect it to the gutter line. I know that for a fact,” he said.
Amanda said Oakmont’s engineer is currently looking into a grant that could bring James’ 125 barrels to the borough in addition to workshops to instruct residents on how to use them.
Before the demise of their first barrel, Amanda and James said, they used the water to garden, hydrate their lawn and fill a small pond on their property.
During James’ research, one of the sources the Pagnottas consulted was Laura Blood, 44, environmental education coordinator at the nonprofit Pennsylvania Resources Council.
Like Mansberger, Blood helps run workshops to inform locals about the use of rain barrels.
Though other options exist for capturing runoff, like rain gardens or bioswales, Blood said the main draw of the barrels is their “utility” and ease of use.
They can be as simple as a hanging five-gallon bucket with a spigot or as complicated as her DIY rain barrel system with a sensor connected to a drip hose that automatically watered her garden in New Brighton.
But, in the end, all that is really required is a receptacle, rain water and a way to direct it.
“We’re not perfect, but we’re trying to be more conscientious about our impact on the environment,” Amanda said. “These are small ways we can make that step.”