http://www.thecarycompany.com/containers/drums/rain_barrels.html
The above rain barrels are $60 in groups of 12. We have been lucky, I guess, to have tropical storm Fay drop so much rain on us a month or so ago, but that water will be gone in a month or two. Before Fay we were in a two-year drought and Lake Okeechobee was at record lows. We can no longer hope that tropical storms or hurricanes will come to replenish our water supplies. Australia has been in a drought for over ten years. Governors of Florida, georgia, and tennessee have had high-level meetings to decide who should get what amount of water as it flows South. Officials from California and Nevada have had several disputes about who gets how much of the water that comes from the Colorado River.
Rain barrels are a part of the solution to water shortages by using water conservation. They are recycled, food-grade, cleaned and disinfected plastic 55-gallon barrels that attach to the downspout of a roof gutter system. They divert rainwater into the barrel for later use in watering flowers or a garden, washing the car or pets, and, in an emergency (after a hurricane for instance), can be used to bathe in or flush the toilets.
Rain barrels can allow us to save our drinking water for drinking. Filters at the end of the downspout and across the barrel will filter out any twigs, bird droppings, or dirt before they get into the barrel. More filters yield cleaner water.
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I built my rain barrels from kits I bought from http://www.aquabarrel.com. They also have downspout filters and downspout diverters to redirect the water during the winter time.
Yes, they are one provider of rain barrels and, I think, based in Atlanta, Ga. Their prices are competitive and they do have the debris diverters and accessories needed for some people's harvesting. Shipping the barrels is a big problem and adds considerably to the cost. I have found a local distributor who will deliver free if ordering a minimum of 50 barrels and his prices are excellent. The local high school kids are getting involved and will start their rainwater project by opening it up to their students and faculty, first. The UF local authority of rain barrel construction will conduct a free seminar and supervise those at the seminar. We have also contacted the local Boy and Girl Scouts. If a non-profit partners with the HS kids the local Home Depot and Lowes will contribute accessories at their cost, or free, as a community service. Needed items would be two spigots, a soaker hose, an adjustable downspout (to go from the regular stationary downspout on the side of the house,into the barrel), plumber tape for the spigots, drills and drill bits, and 4 concrete blocks for each barrel to get the barrels up away form kids and animals. That's about twenty bucks of associated costs, IF we cant get them at their costs, or free.
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