[Tweet “Want a more sustainable way to water your landscape? Try making a rain barrel! #FloridaFriendlyLandscaping http://bit.ly/1ViqGdF”]A rain barrel is a container that collects the rain water that would normally flow off your roof and into a storm drain. You can use this collected water to irrigate your home landscape.¹

Rain barrels help conserve municipal or well water, thus reducing your water bill. They also prevent some urban runoff, which may include pesticides and fertilizers, from entering the environment.¹

And while a short spring shower may not seem like a lot of rain, just half an inch of rainfall can fill an entire 50 to 55 gallon rain barrel! Some people even connect multiple barrels or use larger cisterns to collect more water.²

Anyone can build a rain barrel with the right tools and know-how. The UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping website offers tips and instructions for creating your own water-saving device.

1. “Rain Barrels,” UF/IFAS Florida Friendly Landscaping, n.d., http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/barrels.htm
2. Gerard Watson, Rain Barrels: A Homeowner’s Guide, VISPT 08-11, Brooksville: Southwest Florida Water Management District, n.d., http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/publications/files/rain_barrels_guide.pdf

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