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As people across the nation have become more in tune with impending environmental concerns, more are doing their part to lessen their impact.

Many have decided to contribute by collecting rain water for everyday watering of plants and gardens around their homes with rain barrels.

A rain barrel is a large container placed under a home’s gutter downspout to catch water that would otherwise run into a city’s drainage system or nearby streams. Many gardeners use 55-gallon drums with a connected spigot and hose.

Master Gardener Carolyn Lidge began encouraging neighborhood associations and community groups to use rain barrels along with rain gardens after she was given a grant from the Mid-America Regional Council for the project in 2007. She has worked with Northland groups and others across the area.

She noted there is a solution for every concern expressed by those interested rain barrels.

One of the most prevalent concerns is the way rain barrels look, she said. As most homemade barrels are made from blue or white plastic food-grade barrels, they can often stand out in a backyard garden.

"They don’t have to be ugly," she said.

They can be camouflaged or made attractive by being painted or covered with some sort of blinds or wood planks, she said.

Another common concern is that standing water in a barrel is a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Larry O’Donnell, president of the Little Blue River Watershed Coalition, said mosquitoes can be prevented with a thin layer of vegetable oil on top of the water in the barrel that will prevent larvae from hatching.

The coalition that O’Donnell presides over aims at educating about the effects of water runoff on the river’s watershed and surrounding areas. Rain barrels are one solution to keeping waters clean. The coalition sells ready-to-use rain barrels.

Lidge, who is an avid rain barrel user herself, said she uses all the water in her barrel therefore not leaving time for mosquitoes to take advantage of the prime hatching spot.

Mosquito larvae need 14 days to come to full germination, according to O’Donnell.

O’Donnell said a long hose connected to an overflow spout at the top of a barrel is most beneficial. He uses a 12-foot long overflow hose that can be strategically placed to redirect water to a desired location.

He said it is important to divert excess water runoff that can pull harmful chemicals such as lawn fertilizer into water sources.

Beau Baker, Bridging the Gap’s Clean Commute program manager, is an instructor for rain barrel workshops.

He said one 55-gallon barrel can fill completely in 10 minutes during a hard rain. One inch of rain on one square foot of rooftop will create 0.60 gallons of water.

Bridging the Gap provides community education programs to encourage the region’s residents to live more sustainable lives. The organization puts on rain barrel workshops and sells parts to people so they can construct their own barrels.

Lidge said, more importantly than giving plants natural rainwater, each rain barrel user is lessening their impact on the environment. She said she believes if one neighbor installs a barrel, another might become interested and the chain will continue.

"Just take care of your corner of the world," Lidge said. "Just think if everyone did that."

RAIN BARREL RESOURCES

- Bridging the Gap — The organization offers rain barrel workshops and sells parts to construct barrels. For more information, call 561-1087 or visit www.bridgingthegap.org.

- University of Missouri Extension — The Platte County university extension provides a guide to building a rain barrel provided by Platte County Stormwater Management at www.extension.missouri.edu/platte/environment.shtml.

- 10,000 Rain Gardens — The local initiative that was created to rally people to join to voluntarily reduce the amount of storm water runoff that pollutes waterways provides rain barrel information, where to buy and how to make them at www.rainkc.com.

- Mid-America Regional Council — MARC is a resource for rain barrel information and provides a guide to build one at www.marc.org/Environment/Water/buildrainbarrel.htm.

- Little Blue River Watershed Coalition — The organization sells ready made rain barrels that are available for purchase and pickup by calling 356-4040. For more information, visit www.littleblueriverwc.org.

Staff writer Meagan O’Donnell can be reached at 389-6606 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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written by Sue, June 25, 2009

For a great Rain Barrel source here in KC area that sells the Patent Pending Aquabarrel design go to Habitat ReStore in KC

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