Water conservation with rain barrels

With a push for water conservation, contractors in the West turn to rain barrels and cisterns as one tool to achieve water savings in their landscapes. The barrels contractors are using can be as small as 50-gallon tanks or as large as 10,000-gallon tanks, depending on laws in their area and applications demanded by customers.

Some are placed above ground in broad daylight, while others are hidden underground or screened off. In addition, some municipalities offer rebates to property owners that hire a contractor to install them, and then contractors must follow city specs for these systems.

The reasons why contractors use rain barrels varies in the West depending on rebates offered or the level of drought in their area, contractors generally use them to promote sustainable landscaping.

Drought-heavy areas.
In areas with heavy drought this year – such as Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California and Utah – rain barrels and cisterns serve as a means of conserving limited water resources. A number of municipalities in these states also offer rebates to property owners that install rain barrels or cisterns.

Read more in our July issue here.