A new law in Colorado finally makes it legal for citizens to capture rainwater. If you’re in a legal rain community, here are ways to save money using free water from the sky. Collect rainwater in a barrel or cistern, and use it in your yard and garden
By Emily Main RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA 07-02-09
Link to full article below
Citizens of Colorado can now enjoy one of the true staples of green homeownership: the rain barrel. Once a hallmark of water-conscious outlaws in the state, barrels had been considered illegal under an old law stating that all rainwater was essentially public property, and as such, couldn’t be diverted from municipal water supplies. But two new laws passed this week changed all that, and now, with reckless abandon, Coloradoans are free to divert rainfall to their hearts’ content. Here are five things that they, and you, can do with captured rain:
1. Water your crops.
Collect water in a rain barrel and use it on your lawn, garden, and indoor houseplants. You can make your own barrel, provided you use a container constructed from food-grade materials . Or go the easy route and buy one premade from recycled plastic from any number of online retailers.
2. Create a rain garden.
With all the rain we’ve had in the Northeast this spring, barrels wouldn’t make a dent in storing all the precipitation that’s fallen. Digging trenches seems a more appropriate solution, as are rain gardens, collections of flood-tolerant plants. They divert the water from storm drains, which can overflow and wash pollutants into nearby rivers and streams during heavy rainfall. You can download how-to guides for creating your own from the University of Wisconsin Extension Service.
To read the full article: http://www.rodale.com/collecting-rainwater?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_07_02-_-Top5-_-NA
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