ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) — San Diego County residents are turning to rain barrels to make the most of Tuesday's rainfall, with environmental advocates saying even small amounts of precipitation can provide months of garden irrigation.
A 50-gallon rain barrel can capture significant amounts of water during San Diego's infrequent rain events, according to Jessica Toth, executive director of the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation.
"By collecting the water, you're able to sink it back into the land by watering your plants," Toth said.
The organization works to provide insight on how people can take care of the environment through programs like subsidized rain barrel sales.
"One of the things we do is sell subsidized rain barrels, for example," Toth said.
Through the rain barrel program, they've kept about 90,000 gallons of water from going into the rainwater system. Toth says it's important to keep stormwater from running off and taking pollutants into waterways.
"Many surfers will know that you don't want to go in the ocean for a couple of days after it rains, and that is directly related to what runs off the land ends up in the water," Toth said.
Even though San Diego County can struggle with rain, Toth says it's enough to keep a garden watered for months. Just an inch of rain from a 1,000 square foot roof will collect 650 gallons – equivalent to 13 of the 50-gallon bins.
"You connect it to your downspout, and it's pretty straightforward," Toth said. "As you can see, we're still getting a little bit of drips off of the roof, and here's what we've collected."
Users simply connect a hose at the bottom of the tank to water their gardens.
"The water comes out and you can water your garden with it," Toth said.
While these barrels represent a small step in environmental conservation, Toth says they're a good place to start. The barrels cost $155 and are currently on sale. With a rebate from the county, they're 60 percent off.
"Sure enough, within days, all of those green figs became luscious," Toth said, describing the impact of collected rainwater on her garden.
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