Some homeowners may want to move beyond good housekeeping practices to protect local water quality and move into more “aggressive” runoff control measures around the house. Rain barrels and rain gardens are relatively simple and inexpensive to install and provide a multitude of benefits.

A rain barrel is just that; a barrel used to collect and store rainwater runoff from your rooftop for later use such as watering a garden. Instead of flowing through your downspout, onto a paved driveway and eventually into a storm drain, the runoff is stored for reuse. Rain barrels not only reduce stormwater pollution by storing runoff, they can lower water costs, particularly during peak summer months. According to the Center for Watershed Protection, the use of a rain barrel can save approximately 1,300 gallons of water during peak use months. Rain barrels can be purchased ready for installation from a number of commercial sources or they can be constructed from a used 55 gallon drum and various fittings and hoses. The construction essentially involves cutting a lower drain hole (probably ¾” in size) in the barrel and installing a hose fitting. This is where you will drain the reuse water from. An overflow hole near the top of the barrel is also needed. In the top of the barrel, you need to cut a hole compatible in size to your downspout size. It is extremely useful to install an atrium grate in this hole to filter out leaves and other items that may wash off your roof. These grates are available at pond or pool supply stores. A web search for “rain barrels” will turn up a large number of detailed plans for rain barrel purchase or construction.

A rain garden also can be labeled by its fancy, technical name of “bioretention facility”. For the homeowner, “rain garden” is a much more user friendly term and provides a better vision of the attractive garden area the homeowner will install. In technical terms a “rain garden” is a vegetated basin designed to reflect natural conditions found in totally undisturbed forests. Designed to act as a sink, rain gardens usually are underlain with specific types of permeable soils and organic mulches so that runoff is both trapped and treated by vegetation and soil microbes.

Rain gardens are usually installed in natural low areas but swails may be installed to route stormwater flows. Size of the rain garden depends on the size of your rooftop, but should be roughly 20% to 30% the size of the rooftop area. The rain garden should be located at least 10’ from your house foundation. Lay out the shape of the rain garden with a hose or string and excavate this area to a depth of 3” to 4”. If you soil is a clay type, it may be necessary to dig to a depth of 5” to 6” and add a layer of organic material to aid in drainage and treatment.

Chose plants for the garden that can tolerant of both extremely wet and extremely dry conditions. As always, native plants are best. Some good local choices include ferns, black eyed Susan’s, goldenrod, daylilies, hostas, and myrtles. Again, a web search for “rain gardens” will show large numbers of detailed construction plans and plant suggestions. A rain garden is an effective treatment tool as well as an attractive and informative amenity. According to the Center for Watershed Protection, a properly constructed rain garden allows 30% more water to infiltrate into the ground than a conventional lawn.

Rain barrels and rain gardens can save a homeowner money, provide an attractive landscape area and help protect water quality.