If you live in Los Angeles, harvesting rainwater is easier than ever! The city has started a new rainwater harvesting pilot program and the best part is, they will install the rain barrel for you.
The one million dollar project was set up by the Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000 to preserve potable water as well as put a limit the amount of polluted rainwater that runs into the Pacific Ocean. The city has installed about 430 of the 600 available barrels. It is estimated that about 584,000 gallons of rainwater can be collected each year through the use of these rain barrels.
While Ballona Creek was identified in the act as a priority location to install the rain barrels because of the amount of rainwater runoff there, the barrels are available to homeowners all over Los Angeles.
If this project works out, it may expand. Officials estimate that if each of the 800,000 homes in Los Angeles had just one barrel, they could save about 800 million gallons of water each year. That would be huge considering that Los Angeles has been in a drought for four years now.
Each barrel is capable of holding 55 gallons of water because, when full, it will weigh in at 200 pounds. While that may sound like a lot, it is fairly manageable. The barrels are made of food-grade plastic that once stored olives, syrup, or pickles. There is a wire mesh on top to catch any debris that might fall into the barrel and to drain it, there is a spigot located at the bottom. There is also a connector for the industrious homeowner who wants to connect other barrels to that one for overflow.
If you are in the Los Angeles area and want to apply for a barrel, visit the LA Rainwater Harvesting web.
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