Using a Rain Barrel or Cistern to Catch Roof Runoff

by Mia Musolino

If even half the houses in Falls Church City had a rain barrel or two
catching rainwater under a downspout, it would make a huge
difference in the amount of stormwater runoff that reaches our local
streams, such as Four Mile Run and Tripps Run.

Why Use a Rain Barrel or Cistern?
The first inch of rain carries the most pollutants to nearby waterways,
so holding back just the first inch of rain can be critical in preventing
pollutants from entering streams. Also, rain barrels and cisterns can
also be a very effective tool against basement water problems. In the
garden, your rain barrel can help with your watering during dry times.
Our rain barrel empties into a soaker hose so water slowly waters our
plants and trees during dry periods.

How Much Rain Can You Collect?
A lot of water comes off of a roof when it rains, so you might want
more than one barrel or a cistern instead. For every 1,000 square feet
of roof area served by a downspout, 600 gallons of water comes out
during a 1-inch rain! Don't worry so much about the barrel
overflowing; ones that are built correctly have overflow hoses that you
can direct away from your house, in case of a heavy rain. Or you can
hook up a series of rain barrels that empty into one another, with the
last one overflowing through an overflow hose.

Where Can I Get a Rain
Barrel Around Falls Church?
You can buy a rain barrel ready-made at someplace like Merrifield
Garden Center, but the one they sell is something like $140! If you
find one online and buy it that way, the price is less, but the shipping
ends up costing another $30 or so, making it also too expensive. And
if you want more than one, these prices are just not practical. Another
possible snag with buying or makiing the rain barrels or cisterns can
be getting the barrel home. The rain barrel I bought filled up the entire
back seat of my Honda so I could only get one at a time.

Here is the information you need to either buy one or more rain
barrels inexpensively, or how you can make your own.

Buy a Rain Barrel Ready-made from an Organization
Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, Millersville Maryland,
410-222-3822, ask for Steve Barry or Darren Rickwood. You can
order a rain barrel for $40 that is made by students at this
organization. This is where I got our rain barrel. Arlington Echo is
about 45 minutes away -- just this side of Annapolis (kind of near
where the Maryland Renaissance Festival is held). Arlington Echo also
has workshops where you can make your own rain barrel with their
supplies and it costs a little less. These rain barrels are made out of
recycled barrels that they get from a Pepsi factory in Baltimore (read
below if you want to know more about that).

Another organization that makes and sells rain barrels is the Scott
Key Center in Frederick, Maryland. These are more expensive than
Arlington Echo's, but they seem to be higher quality.

Make Your Own Rain Barrel!
First, you'll need the barrel. When I saw the barrels at Arlington Echo,
I knew I could make one myself, if I just knew where to get the Pepsi
barrels! I called every Pepsi plant from Richmond to Baltimore and
found that there are two plants that sell the empty barrels within a
reasonable driving distance. One is in Baltimore and one is in
Hyattsville, somewhat near the National Arboretum. Although I haven't
done this yet, here is the information I have:

Baltimore Pepsi Plant - Barrels are $5 each. 1650 Union Ave,
Baltimore. Charlie Dickerson, 410.554.7785.

Hyattsville Pepsi Plant - Barrels are $10 each. Howard Turk, Recycling
Coordinator, 301.583.7260 or 301.322.7000

It's important to note that your barrel must be food-grade, since any
other type might have held chemicals that would make the rain barrel
contaminate the soil and water. After you have your empty barrel(s),
you can follow these instructions to transform your plain old Pepsi
barrel into a rain barrel, complete with mosquito screen.

Catch More Rainwater -- Get a Cistern!
While each Pepsi-style rain barrel holds 55 gallons, a cistern can hold
has much as 1,000 gallons (and there is a cistern at a home in the
City that holds that much!)! You can buy the containers used in
manufacturing to hold hazardous liquids from a place in Winchester
called Poly Processing. I've heard that there are factory seconds that
work just fine for water, although they can't be used for the
hazardous, caustic chemicals they were made to hold. Quality metal
cisterns are also available from Texas Metal Cisterns. After you have
your tank, you can fit it using much of the same information in the
rain barrel instructions linked to above. Cisterns are also an important
Best Management Practice for stormwater management to catch
rooftop runoff in large development projects (Click here to see one at
a school Arlington).

Links to More Information
Mother Earth News Magazine -- Rainwater Harvesting
Waste Not, Want Not: Saving Rain for Landscape Watering
The Key Roll Rain Barrels Play in Gardens
The Green Guide - Rain Barrels
Low-Impact Development Center - Rain Barrels and Cisterns
The Rain Barrel Guide