Rain barrels: I took the do-it-yourself challenge

by Sandra Partridge, Ecology communications

 

Imagine putting rain to work for you.

Rain barrels capture rainwater for use on your yard and garden. They allow you to divert the water to the parts of the yard that need it most, instead of it just pouring out of your downspout.

Preparing now makes sense

While your garden doesn’t need rain now, it is a good time to prepare for the next growing season.

Getting set up now will come in handy later, especially if our state experiences another drought.  When the weather turns warm, using free rainwater can reduce your monthly household watering bills.

The challenge

You can find rain barrels for sale at garden supply centers, hardware stores and building supply chains, or you can order them online, although some stores only offer them in the spring and summer.

I read that even someone with limited skills and basic tools can build a rain barrel for about half of full retail price or less so I decided to try it.

To get started, I searched “building rain barrels” online and found a number of helpful, short how-to videos, instructions and material lists. For step-by-step directions, you’ll want to research out the plans that most appeal to you.

Designs differ, but most rain barrels have these features:

• A 55-gallon plastic drum that is either new or only contained food quality materials.
• A large hole in top for the water to flow into, covered by a screen to keep out leaves and other debris. 
• A faucet or ball valve toward the bottom, where you’ll attach the garden hose.
• To keep the barrel from getting too full, some have an overflow hole, high up on one side. You can run a hose from that too, to direct excess water away from the house.
• A stable, elevated base. This helps ensure that a full, heavy barrel won’t tip over.

Patience pays - literally

The total cost of the project will depend on what materials and tools you have on hand.

Finding a suitable drum this time of year took some time. After visiting several stores, I finally found one at a garden supply center for about $40. If I had more time, I would have kept looking for alternatives – maybe a restaurant or car wash that was going to take a suitable drum to recycling.

I also needed to buy some basic supplies and equipment:  two hole saws (that attach to your drill), a PVC adapter, a ball valve (or faucet), and some small fittings. I got those, and helpful advice, from my local hardware store.

My total investment was nearly $100.  But now that I’m set up – and if I can find a low-cost barrel to start with – I should be able to build a second one for far less. 

It wasn’t that hard

The steps are pretty basic. 

For the inflow, I cut a large hole in the top of the barrel. Then I set a PVC adapter into the opening, covered it with a piece of fine wire mesh, and secured it in place with a hose clamp.

For the faucet, I cut a small hole a few inches from the bottom. Then I added a fitting, inserted the ball valve and connected the hose.

Mine has a removable lid, to make it easier to clean. Because I don’t have a table saw, I used a reciprocating saw to cut the lid off the barrel. For safety, I braced the barrel against something solid so it wouldn’t turn as I made the cuts.

Mine had a small overflow hole fitted with an adapter and a small hose, to keep any excess water away from the house.

Was it worth it?

Yes, yes and yes. That evening, the sound of rain brought a smile to my face.  I checked on my rain barrel the next morning and was surprised to find it was already several inches full.  Pretty satisfying to see that it all worked as it was supposed to.  Since we’re entering the winter season, I’ll empty it and store it away for now.  But when spring comes, watering with rain water will be a real pleasure. 

Extreme drought now in less than half of state

by Dan Partridge, communications manager, Water Resources Program


The rain came down in sheets over the weekend, pouring more than three inches of rain on Western Washington as measured at Sea-Tac Airport. Storms were intense and rivers swollen, leading many folks to ask: Is the statewide drought over?

The answer is no but the rain and snow did improve the drought picture considerably. Less than half the state is now in “extreme” drought and several areas of the state that were in “severe” drought have been upgraded to “moderate” drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor .

The weekend storms dumped 19 inches of snow in the North Cascades, as measured by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Hart’s Pass received 15 inches of snow and Mount Rainer at Paradise received more than a foot of snow.

In a normal year, snowpack accumulates in our mountains over the winter and then runoff from melting snow feeds our rivers and streams through the spring, summer and fall. While the drought monitor report is encouraging, forecasters are concerned that much of the snow received last weekend will melt away before winter if the warm temperatures of October persist. The month was the second-warmest October on record for Washington.

The Yakima basin benefitted from the storms but the basin is still in that half of the state in extreme drought.

The basin is the most productive agricultural region in the state. The rain increased water storage in the five reservoirs managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for irrigation from 39 to 61 percent of average and the weekend storms brought the area up to 207 percent of its normal precipitation for the month of October.

“It was a very good rain over here,” said Chris Lynch, hydrologist and civil engineer with the Bureau.

For most of this year, however, water shortages have caused hardships in the Yakima basin and across the state. Record-low snowpack was found in the Yakima basin on April 1 and May 1, at 12 percent and 11 percent of average. Statewide, most of our snowpack was gone by the first of June. 

More water in irrigation reservoirs is good news for farmers who were cut back on their water allocations this year to 47 percent of normal, but there is still a significant deficit in water supplies for the Yakima Basin. The reservoirs are holding about 180,000 acre-feet of water (one acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons of water.) A year ago, the reservoirs were holding 385,000 acre-feet of water on Nov. 1, 2014, and the Yakima Basin was still one of the first regions of the state to be declared in a drought this year, on March 13, because of lack of snow.

If temperatures cool and significant snow begins to accumulate in the mountains, the picture may continue to improve for our statewide drought. However, predictions remain for a warmer-than-normal winter with below-normal snowpack. The El Nino weather pattern bringing those conditions is expected to be among the three warmest on record, dating back to 1950.

Water conservation activities for kids

Saving water is a family affair

by Lynne Geller, communications and outreach, Water Resources Program

Photo credit: Province of British Columbia

If there is one thing the 2015 drought is teaching us, it is not to take water for granted. (As of Oct. 20, 68% of our state is still in “extreme drought”.) Practicing water conservation every day, every year, just makes sense. Conserving simply means not wasting.

Why not make learning about water conservation enjoyable, for you and your family? The web has a wealth of free learning materials for kids of all ages. Spend some quality time with the kids in your life, learn some new things, and have some fun -- all at the same time. And along the way, understand more about the importance of water conservation and what you can do to save water.

Check out the Water Use It Wisely web pages. You will find interactive and downloadable games. You can go to the Tip Tank and learn water saving tips using a memory game of matching pictures (you may know the game as “Concentration”). Discover the role of water in our lives: Spin the earth to select a topic (for example, the water cycle, watersheds, using water wisely.) Then for each topic, there are games, quizzes and a video, plus other learning tools. Or have some fun testing your skill at saving raindrops, working against the clock.

WaterSense is a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which is all about using water efficiently. You have probably seen the WaterSense label on products like showerheads and toilets – and even new single-family homes! WaterSense Kids provides some basic water use information and then you are tested in a challenging “Test Your WaterSense” interactive game. Help your kids take a water drop through a maze of water pipes and answer water use questions, while being careful to not to be gobbled up by Water Wasters.

Try your hand at Washing Machine Basketball and other interactive games at conserveh2o.org. The site also has downloadable activity books where you can connect-the-dots, find your way through mazes, color by number, find the picture that doesn’t belong – and be learning about water and water conservation at the same time. 

If you are feeling a little more ambitious, look at the materials developed by WaterSense for kids grades 3 through 5: WaterSense materials for elementary-level kids. There are two sets of learning materials, A Day in the Life of a Drop and Fix a Leak Week. The web has a great selection of materials for educators.

These links are just a start. Conserving water in the home isn’t hard – it’s just about learning some easy things to do, and then remembering to do them! Start today, and make it a family affair.

Drought in the City

by Lindsey Desmul, Drought Response Specialist, Northwest Regional Office

While summer is drawing to a close and the crisp, cool weather of fall is returning, we are still in the midst of the worst drought in state history. Because of the large storage areas and conservation measures taken by municipal water suppliers, it can seem like cities have an endless supply of water. The ability to turn on the tap and magically have water is a modern-day miracle most of us take for granted. But customers can feel disconnected from their water source, and this can make it hard to understand the difficulties our state is facing during this record-setting drought.

Cities such as Seattle, Everett, and Tacoma are still calling for a 10% reduction in water usage from its customers, and Seattle residents are setting a great example. They have taken the city’s call for conservation seriously and reduced water consumption to levels below average. The graph (at the end of this blog) shows Seattle’s average 7-day water consumption as of September 8 and historically.

But we all need to do more to conserve water.

Why conserve municipal water?

Did you know that only 1 percent of earth’s water supply is drinkable?

In Washington, where we are surrounded by large rivers fed by glacial ice and snow melt, water seems abundant. However, our warmer and drier winter led to a severe lack of snow melt going into rivers. Just weeks ago the entire state was classified as being in a “severe drought.”

This has impacted our state in many ways, such as limiting recreational opportunities like fishing and skiing. This not only reduces our fun but affects our state economy. More than 1 million people go fishing in Washington each year, bringing in a total of $1.1 billion annually from sport fishing alone. Likewise, winter tourism added $348 million to the state’s economy in 2009/2010, employing more than 6,000 people.

The drought is also decreasing our hydroelectric capabilities. Currently, hydroelectricity accounts for more than 60 percent of Washington’s power source! If the drought continues, dirtier and more expensive fossil-fuels will have to be used, increasing pollution (especially in larger cities) and costing each energy customer more money. Higher prices for dirtier fuel? No thanks!

In places like Everett, where Spada Lake is already showing impacts of this year’s drought, the growing stress may put municipal supplies in danger if the drought continues into next summer. Shallow domestic wells have begun to go dry in locations such as the Yakima Valley and the Startup Water District, and populations in these and other smaller communities may need to begin purchasing water from a municipal supply.

In Seattle, the municipal water system relies on water from the Cedar and Tolt River reservoirs. If we continue to experience low snowpack years, the water flowing into the reservoirs is expected to decline by 6 percent per decade during the hot summer months. That decline will be magnified by the city’s population growth, which is currently the highest it’s been since the Gold Rush! How much water is available in the municipal supply depends largely on the customers themselves and the conservation measures taken.

Start conserving water now for the future

People use more water in the summer season when gardens and grass are thirsty, but this is also the time when water conservation is most important. Outdoor water use in the summer months can be as high as 70 percent of our total water use, and up to 50 percent of that water is wasted from inefficient watering methods! Instead of struggling to keep those lawns green during the hottest months of the year, consider

Dormant lawn in August
Photo by Ecoyards

letting them go dormant. Depending on the type of grass in your yard, many dormant lawns only require ½ inch of water every two weeks to stay alive. That means that if the average American lawn was allowed to go dormant, the amount of water conserved could supply a family of 4 with drinking water for over 34 years!

This winter is expected to be warmer and drier than normal due to the lasting effects of El Niño and the infamous blob on our Pacific Ocean shores. Following last year’s winter of low snow pack, the effects of another drought could be life-altering for Washington state residents. If we all make changes now in how we use water, we can avoid the complications of another dry summer. So when you see news articles and public service announcements about water conservation in cities, pay close attention – every little bit of water saved can mean a lot for our future.

Courtesy of Seattle Public Utilities. As of Sept. 8, 2015

What did the rains do for the drought? Not much!

No, this isn’t a cobblestone road but Squire Creek 

east of Oso dried out by the drought.

Weekend rains filled the creek but it is expected to run dry again.

by Dan Partridge, communications manager, Water Resources


The storms this week delivered more rain to Washington than the previous four months combined, bumping up declining stream flows across the state.

The rains have made a difference in the area of the state considered to be in extreme drought, now at 68 percent compared to 85 percent last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The rains also improved the morale of state employees working to provide drought relief in what is shaping up to be the worst drought in modern state history. But they only temporarily ease the hardships this drought is bringing to communities, farmers and fish.

Rains bump stream flows across the state

Before Aug. 30th, 75 percent of the reporting stations maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey across our state showed below normal stream flows. With the rains, that improved to 30 percent. That will alleviate fish passage problems for salmon migration upstream, but it’s not a bump expected to last as hot, dry weather is forecast in September.

The storms delivered 6.82 inches of precipitation to Olympic National Park, but the long-burning Paradise Fire – in the rainforest -- is still going! The fire has consumed 2,796 acres so far.

Fires still burning in Eastern Washington

A total of 3.28 inches of rain was recorded at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport over six days, while rainfall was spotty in Eastern Washington ranging from less than a quarter of an inch in some areas up to an inch on other areas. It was not enough to douse the fires which have burned an area the size of the state of Rhode Island.

The city of Seattle received about 2 inches of rain over the weekend, but that’s far less than what is needed to pull back from voluntary water use restrictions announced for Seattle, Everett and Tacoma in August.

Snow forecast for the mountains

Some good news from this week’s wet, cooler weather is a National Weather Service advisory for mountain snow before Labor Day above 5,600 feet in the Cascades and Olympics.

Any snow in the mountains would be a welcome sight. But our statewide drought started with a lack of adequate snowpack over the winter, and by the first of June our mountain snowpack had disappeared. We will need “mountains” of snow (pardon the expression) to avoid another snowpack drought in 2016.

Long-range forecast

The 30-day forecast for September calls for an equal chance of normal or below normal precipitation and an equal chance of normal or above normal temperatures.

An El Nino weather pattern, predicted this week by the World Meterological Organization to be one of the strongest in more than a half century, will reduce the chances of adequate accumulations of snow this winter.

So it’s great to see the rain, but Ecology and our partner agencies in drought relief won’t be pulling back this fall on our work to relieve hardships from water shortages occurring in Washington Drought 2015. We invite you to help us document the drought by providing photos to the Drought Photo Tour of depleted stream flows, dying crops and fish stranded by low flows.

Lawn care in a drought: brown is the new green

by Lynne Geller, communications and outreach, Water Resources Program

Using water efficiently (that is, not wasting it) is something we can all get behind – nobody thinks that wasting water is a good thing.

But what about our lawns? Can we keep our lawns and still protect our limited water supply when half of our state is in extreme drought (U.S. Drought Monitor)?

Photo courtesy of City of Olympia

Happily, the answer is yes. And that’s a good thing: in the summer, as much as 50 percent of our home water use goes to lawns and gardens. The typical suburban lawn consumes 10,000 gallons of water above and beyond rainwater each year. So we are talking a lot of water – and along with that, a lot of money!

The good news about brown grass

Probably the single best way to limit water use is . . . . to stop watering your lawn! Yes, brown grass may not be your favorite aesthetic, but rest assured your lawn is not dead. Lawns go dormant as a natural response to summer heat stress. They will revive in the fall when the rains start. (Tip: giving your lawn a good soaking before the fall rains, in September/October, will help give your dormant lawn a jump on recovery.)

If you are not comfortable with an all-or-nothing approach, the Oregon State University Extension Service encourages developing a “lawn maintenance plan.” Assess what areas of lawn matter most and so will require more care, and what areas can acceptably make do with little attention. Any watering can then be focused on what you most care about. For example, maybe you want your front lawn to be more of a showcase, and can let the side or back yards rest.

Tips for water-efficient lawn care

Here are some year-round, water-efficient lawn care tips. Using water efficiently is important every year, and especially in a drought year. There are things you can do now that will strengthen your lawn for years to come.

Watering:

• Infrequent, deep watering encourages deeper root growth and results in plants that are better able to withstand variations in soil moisture. (An occasional shallow watering during a drought is actually counter-productive. It can drain resources from the roots, which the grass needs to stay alive.)
• As a general guideline, green lawns need one inch of water a week, including rainfall. But this will vary with location, soil type, etc. Check with your local utility for an online sprinkler calculator, or local county extension service.
• Dormant, low maintenance lawns can survive the summer with no water. If you must, water one inch once a month (this could help support the sleeping lawn, but is not necessary).
• If you do choose to water, don’t just set the automatic irrigation timer in the spring and forget about it. To be water smart, adjust the time as the summer progresses, based on temperatures and other changing conditions.
• Always water early in the day or in the evening, when it isn’t windy, for maximum water benefits.

Mowing: For most lawns, set mowing height at two or three inches. This reduces the growth rate and demand for water, promotes deeper root growth and lessens likelihood of sun damage. A general rule-of-thumb is to never remove more than one-third of the grass height at one time.

Fertilizing: Fertilizers increase water consumption; only apply the minimum amount. Fertilizing is a case of “less is more.” Don’t apply fertilizer in the summer. It can stress the lawn, forcing growth that cannot be supported by the root system or availability of water.

Mulching: Leave lawn clippings on your grass, this cools the ground and holds in moisture. It also reduces weeds, which will compete for available water.

Weeding: Should be done regularly, as weeds compete with other plants for nutrients, light and water. A thorough weeding in the spring will help your lawn all summer long.

Lots of gardening information available

For all you gardeners out there, the good news is that there is an abundance of information available on water-efficient lawns and gardens. Maybe you are designing a new garden with drought-resistant plants, taking out part of a lawn and replacing it with groundcover, need to know more about appropriate fertilizers – whatever you are tackling, there is no shortage of help. Here are a few examples of what’s out there:

Water-Smart Landscapes – publication from the EPA, WaterSense program

Water Efficient Gardening – a power point put together for Clallam County but contains the basics for gardening anywhere

Efficient Irrigation – tips from the WaterUseitWisely campaign