Rain Barrels
We can design stormwater BMP's to manage stormwater at the home, street, or watershed level.
Let's look at some examples of each of these options, commencing with a hypothetical home:
If the footprint of a home is 1000 sq. feet, and
the driveway 750 sq. feet, and
the walkway 200 sq feet,
we would have a total of 1950 sq feet of impervious surface, which, in northern Vermont, might generate as much as 1300 gallons of water during a two-year storm. If we wish to manage that stormwater on site through retention, how could we accomplish this?
We might first address the stormwater from the roof by disconnecting the downspouts and installing rain barrels at each corner of the house. These are typically 55 gallons drums, with watering hoses attached. This is a simple technology, which can be purchased commercially or homemade.*
There are two central issues with rain barrels:
Place the barrel high enough in relationship to your garden so you can rely on gravity to completely drain the barrel. The next, as you might have guessed, between storms they need to be drained, as they will not collect rain when full. But when properly managed, 4 such barrels would theoretically mitigate 210 gallons from each significant storm. Were this employed properly for half of the homes in Butler Farms and Oak Creek Village, this could offset nearly 26,000 gallons of rainwater which otherwise winds up in tributary 7!
The retail cost of this technology is between $55.00 and $120.00. They are commonly available at gardening centers. It is important to seek out a unit which has a child proof lid, and can screen out debris. It should be noted that this technology requires time to drain the barrels, but if you are a gardener, this is a great source for water!
*(See: How to make a rainbarrel; From Garden Gate Issue 40, 11/15/04)
(For the handy person, make sure the previous use of the barrel was not for a corrosive chemical.)
(photo credit, EPA,http://www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/stormwater.htm, 11/15/04)