Dear Ms. Mae

This is the perfect time to set up a rainwater harvesting system. Spring rains will be falling soon and the Metropolitan Sewer District is about to launch a second annual sale of rain barrels for MSD customers.

A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from your roof. It’s an inexpensive, low-tech, convenient way to help reduce the strain on our region’s storm sewer system and to tap a free source of good water for your home landscape. This water would normally run off the roof into your gutters and downspout and eventually into the storm drain.

Rain barrels help protect water quality by reducing storm water runoff, which carries pollutants like sediment, oil, grease, bacteria and excess nutrients into the region’s rivers, which ultimately receive outflow of the MSD storm sewer system. Reducing the load on our water treatment system means storm water overloads are less likely to be discharged incompletely treated back into the watershed. Since we all live downstream from somewhere, it’s really important to prevent pollution wherever it might occur.

This spring MSD is selling rain barrels to any customer who is current on their bill. There’s a limited quantity available, so if you live in the MSD service area place your order right away.

Many home stores and garden centers now sell rain barrels, in a variety of shapes, sizes and price points. And the St. Louis company Water Tech Inc. offers options for larger rainwater harvesting systems, for commercial and residential use.

With simple tools and a little skill, you can also build one yourself

Tips for optimum enjoyment of your rain barrel:

• Set it up on a piece of plywood or build a small platform to hold it, instead of setting it on bare ground. When the ground settles, your barrel might become difficult to access.
• Anticipate using a short hose, if you plan to hook a hose to the spigot, to water planting beds close to the barrel.
• A rain barrel won’t power a sprinkler!
• Set the barrel on cinder blocks or otherwise raise it up high enough to fit a 5-gallon bucket under the spigot – which will be near the barrel’s bottom. You’ll get better water pressure through a short hose and (most important) you can conveniently fill watering cans and drain the barrel with the spigot positioned high enough.
• Keep a supply of mosquito dunks on hand and drop a segment into your barrel according to water treatment package directions. Inexpensive dunks are available at hardware or home improvement stores. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so a rain barrel can be a source of insect-born health hazards even with a screened top and frequent use of its water. Better to be safe when mosquito-born diseases like West Nile Virus are concerned!