November 28, 2007
By Dean Fosdick, AP / USA Today
NEW MARKET, Va. — There is nothing better than rainwater when watering plants. That's assuming, of course, you don't live in an area besieged by drought.
Photo: A plastic barrel equipped with drain hoses, used to store rainwater that drains from the roof, is seen in this Friday, Nov. 23, 2007 photo in Va. (Dean Fosdick)
Rainwater is soft water, without the salts, minerals and chlorine carried by water from residential wells or municipal systems. With the proper permitting, it can be used indoors for pets, flushing toilets and soaking plants. Outdoors, it can be used for irrigating lawns and gardens.
Rainwater also isn't as cold as water taken from the tap or a hose, so its spray won't shock plants and vegetables. And then there's the clincher: The price is certainly right.
"Aside from installing rain gutters and adding containers, rainwater is free," said Reagan Waskom, director of the Colorado Water Resources Research Institute. Just be sure to test acidity and purity levels if you plan to drink it.
Rain in industrialized areas begins collecting impurities in the atmosphere. But pollutants really begin to accumulate once rain strikes the ground or roof. Rain gathers up deposits of nitrogen and mercury, street oils, pesticides, animal wastes and commercial fertilizer as it flows from yard to storm sewer or cistern.
"The best strategy is to filter and screen out contaminants before they enter the storage container," Waskom said. "Dirty containers may become a health hazard or a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests."
Here are some additional tips from the Santa Monica (Calif.) Green Building Program:
—- Avoid using rainwater on food-producing gardens that has been collected from asphalt roofing, redwood, cedar or treated wood shingles and shakes. Those surfaces may contaminate water and soil by leaching toxic materials when wet.
— Ensure that roofs have sufficient slope to drain completely, without any long-term ponding.
— Rain barrels should incorporate a "roof washer" or "first flush" device to screen debris and avoid water contaminated by bird droppings and dust.
— Containers also should be equipped with an inlet screen and overflow outlet that drains at least six feet from the building's foundation.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2007-11-26-rainwater_N.htm