Saving Water and Having a Barrel of Fun

Saving for a Non-Rainy Day

Last year Maryland began requiring that new and renovated buildings have a way to catch rainwater, Connolly says. And the District is looking into adjusting homeowners' utility (water) rates based on how much rain runoff a property produces.

Someday, Connolly says, "all new homes and commercial buildings . . . will have to save rainwater because it's the simplest and cheapest way to protect the rivers. If we capture the storm water -- using it to water our gardens or just drain it out a few days after a storm -- the rivers know how to clean themselves."

Rolling Out the Barrels

But you don't have to wait to have a rain barrel, says Barry Chenkin, who runs the Anacostia workshops and started a company called Aquabarrel.

At the workshop the scouts attended, several adults wanted to buy barrels and other equipment from Chenkin. A lucky few got free barrels that the scouts assembled, gluing in spigots and flow pipes that connect to a home's downspouts.

Each of the 55-gallon barrels, which once held products such as salad dressing or tomato sauce, can collect about 1,300 gallons of rainwater during the summer, Chenkin says.

When Mara told her science teacher and classmates at Robert Goddard Montessori school about the barrel project, "everybody thought it was cool," she says.

"Now we think we're going to make one for our school," she adds proudly.

-- Raymond M. Lane