It might seem like a really obvious thing to do, but you might be surprised how few people actually take advantage of the free gift of water that falls from the sky. With water bills an ever present burden to the overall cost of running a home, why wouldn’t you want to make savings where you can?
First of all it’s important to note that in certain parts of the world, for instance in drier parts of the US, harvesting rain water for personal use is actually illegal. Yep, you read it right, it can be that valuable a commodity, so if you’re in any doubt as to what your local policy is, please do check this before doing anything else!
Of course what the above fact tells us is that water is a precious thing, it’s vital for us to survive, and vital for your garden. Your garden isn’t fussy when it comes to water purity, so using rain water is the ideal solution to keeping all things green hydrated.
Anyone who doubted the worthiness of collecting rain water early in the year when rainfall is common will of course be kicking themselves by now. At this point in the summer when it’s hot and dry, you’ll find the water you put on your plants evaporates alarmingly quickly, meaning you have to top up the watering can far more frequently, or leave the sprinkler running for longer. Make no mistake, the cost of doing this can add up considerably. In fact at peaks times of the year up to 70% of a household water bill can go towards watering the garden, which is truly staggering when you consider all the drinking, washing and showering we do!
Those who have taken the time to collect their water on the other hand will be reaping the rewards of their efforts by using their collected rainwater to feed the garden, whilst their water bill stays at the same level it has done all year.
It’s not just saving money that collecting water can do for you either, depending on your individual circumstances you might be able to prevent soil erosion by collecting rain water. Those of an eco friendly disposition might also be interested to learn that reducing the level of rainwater that’s allowed to make its way into drains, and ultimately rivers and lakes, actually prevents the flow of chemicals and rubbish into these water sources as well.
