County: Want to Save Water Costs? Here's How
Homeowners could save 1,500 gallons of water a year by collecting rainwater for garden use in a big blue barrel
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Forty percent of the water used in a typical Morris County home in the summer is for irrigation of lawns and gardens, Joseph Dunn, Morris County Soil Conservation district manager, said this week.
Dunn told the county's freeholders Wednesday homeowners could save on that water expenditure by using a rain barrel to gather rainwater from their gutters.
It would relieve them of paying their public water purveyor for the water, and could save them a portion of the cost of their sewer bill, Dunn said, since many sewer bills are based on a home’s water use. Residential water use increases 40 to 50 percent in the summer, he said.
Dunn said Wednesday his agency is offering discounted 55-gallon rain barrels to homeowners to help them capture and store rainwater from their home's roof gutter system to be used later to water flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees.
The plastic barrels are blue, but if a homeowner wants, they can be decorated. They are made from recycled plastics, he said.
"It only takes a quarter of an inch of rain run off from an average roof to fill a barrel," Dunn said. "One inch of rainfall on a 1,000-square-foot roof will yield about 600 gallons of water. By using a rain barrel, we can conserve this vital resource and still keep our plants and shrubs watered, even if we live in a community that has imposed restrictions on the outdoor use of water."
Dunn said commercially advertised rain barrels can sell for $100, and the Soil Conservation District is offering them for $85 pre-assembled. A do-it-yourself version is $65, and comes complete with detailed instructions and all of the attachments that are needed for assembly, Dunn said.
Dunn also displayed an adapter kit that attaches to a downspout to regulate the water flow once the barrel is full.
He said the faucet does not produce enough pressure to feed a garden hose, but could feed a soaker hose for a garden.
The barrels are designed with tight covers and faucets. The covers are designed to reduce access to the water by mosquitoes which need water to breed, Dunn said.
The water that is collected is also chlorine-free, he said.
He said that the concept is an old one, but being revised. County College of Morris is installing cisterns during a current construction project that will allow the school to trap rainwater.
The rain barrels may be ordered by calling the Soil Conservation District office at 973-285-2953 or by e-mailing the office at morris@mcscd.org.
Cailin O'Connor
11:30 pm on Thursday, August 11, 2011
Excellent! I will be buying one or two for certain!
Joseph Keyes
9:04 am on Friday, August 12, 2011
I’ve been using rain barrel water for my container plants for many years. I started out with a plastic garbage can then bought a fiberglass 55 gal with a hose and spigot. The Soil Conservation barrels sound like an excellent value. I paid 100.00 at Hoffman’s Supply for mine. I recently saw a “This Old House” episode where a home owner installed a much larger rain bladder beneath his second story deck to manage run-off. I would advise that you empty them before winter as the expanding ice will crack the barrel (I’m not sure about the larger more flexible bladders).
Maggie Lester
4:57 am on Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Getting a more flexible bladder won't work becuase it's the spigots and other small pieces that are really at risk you are spot on. So I don't have to disconnect my rainbarrel every winter I bought one of these: http://www.aquabarrel.com/product_downspout_diverter_inline.php It works great.
V
10:08 am on Friday, August 12, 2011
I wish we could follow this sound advice, but condos will not allow to put barrels outside.
Joseph Keyes
10:32 am on Friday, August 12, 2011
Sounds like an excellent topic to bring up at the next association meeting. There is a lot of info on the net re benefits and "how-to's" of reclaiming rainwater.
Chatham Township Environmental Commission
5:40 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Message from the Chatham Township Environmental Commission (Email ctec@chathamtownship.org . Website www.chathamtownship.org/CTEC ): We highly recommend use of rain barrels! Check out our program* for Twp and Boro, or use the County’s (as featured in this article, or use the State’s program (Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension bskacs@NJAES.Ruthers.edu ). *Our "Soak It ~ Don't Send It Program” is a program we designed to help everyone learn about and obtain rain barrels -- a great way to economically protect and conserve water. Want to see a demonstration? Contact us ctec@chathamtownship.org
More info at www.chathamtownship.org/CTEC/Soak_itRain_Barrel_Program.pdf (information on rain barrels, how to safely install a rain barrel, uses of rain water, and more )www.chathamtownship.org/CTEC/CompostersRainBarrels-Muli-Municipalities.pdf (Info on our Program Soak It ~ Don't Send It, from past years but scroll down to last page regarding where you can buy rain barrels today)
CTEC
Chatham Township Environmental Commission
6:55 pm on Tuesday, August 16, 2011
More info from CTEC:
Chatham Twp and Chatham Boro residents, businesses, and community groups and others can participate in our "Soak it ~ Don't Send it Program"
The U.S. Department of the Interior (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) has joined our Program, as well as the County--the Morris County Parks Commission joined in our Program last year.
Both entities have one of our "rain barrel demonstration - education stations" at their facilities, so you can see how a rain barrel is set up, learn how it works, and learn about the economic and environmental benefits of rain barrel use. (Demonstration Stations are at the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge- Great Swamp: Fenske Visitor's Center, Millington, NJ, and at the Morris County Parks Commission's "Outdoor Education Center-Great Swamp" on Southern Blvd in Chatham Township, NJ.)
Many towns in NJ now replicate our Program “Soak It ~ Don’t Send It.” Nearby communities which participated with us in recent years are Madison, Long Hill Twp, and Summit.
See links above for more info.
CTEC
Joseph Keyes
9:28 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thanks for the info CTCE. Re Composting, I’ve found the pile to be more reliable, easier to maintain, and more efficient than was our now defunct composter. We began with a hand-crank compost tumbler in the early 90’s. The metal barrel rusted out within two years. Now were using a divided pile alternating use each year. It’s simple to add kitchen scraps then cover with plant clippings. We do not turn it often, but use the bottommost layer each year for the garden. Because of smaller properties , composters probably makes better sense in boroughs such as Chatham. And for those who occasionally bring groceries and wine home in brown paper bags, those too can be composted. Just fill it with your scraps and toss it into your barrel or pile. Be sure to turn the barrel or cover the bag with copious amounts of greens or you may attract unwanted visitors at night.
Chatham Township Environmental Commission
11:57 am on Friday, August 19, 2011
Response from: CT Environmental Commission
Hi Mr Keyes,
All great tips, thank you, except one important exception --about the compost PILES.
There are ordinances in Chatham Twp and Chatham Boro (and most other municipalities--and/or Board of Health / Sanitation regulations) regarding compost "piles"
Here's the info we provide in our workshops, literature, website, etc.:
" IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a difference between a composter and a compost pile.
Backyard composters--enclosed containers--ARE allowed to be used in Chatham Township and Chatham Borough—there are no ordinances (laws) or regulations prohibiting the proper use and maintenance of a composter.
No permits or etc. are required. The composters featured our “Save it to Spade it” Program enable our residents to add leaves, grasses, vegetable food scraps, coffee grinds, and many other kinds of “kitchen/food” waste (except meats and dairy items), because the contents of the composter can be turned and the composter has a cover with a locking mechanism.
HOWEVER< *Open “compost piles”-- although good for "yard waste" like grass and leaves—are open, accessible, and usually are not turned periodically, so no “kitchen/food waste" is allowed in “compost piles” per ordinance (laws) in Chatham Twp , Chatham Boro (and in most munis in our area )."
CT Environmental Commission