rain barrels

It seems cities are slowly coming around to the idea of rain barrels and rain storage. Last night we attended a meeting to discuss the benefits of rain water capture. It is simply amazing how little people know about it. You would think that individuals living in a near desert would be aware of the value of water. But that turns out not to be true. Very likely it is because water is so cheap. You turn on the faucet and let it run. You take long showers and flush toilets, all blissfully unaware of how unsustainable these habits really are.

It is not just a matter of being unsustainable --although that should really be a top priority. But people do not care much about the future as long as that future is not immediate. They always think, we are too busy, and besides we will fix all our problems in due time. They have been told over and over again about the American spirit and how it will overcome all ills -until such time of course when the ills are too big to overcome.

But we need to think about the immediate effects. The flooding, the mudslides, and the 1 trillion gallons of sewage overflow every year. These things are real, and they can be helped by simply collecting rain water and releasing it later. Even if we did nothing else but collect the water on our roofs and then release it the next day -which would be a bit stupid given all the good uses for rain water- we would save millions of dollars.

In Europe, where it rains a lot, people collect rain water. Many use it to water their lawns, or vegetable gardens in the brief dry spells that occur during the year. But many more use it to flush toilets, do laundry and even take showers. You may shudder at this idea, because you probably think rain water is dirty. You may think that having it fall onto the earth and seep through many layers cleans it up. Isn't that what the commercials for alpine water tell you? Think again.

Rain water is very pure. It does acquire some stuff while on the roof and in the gutters, but the damage done there is rather minimal. Especially once the storm has picked up some steam. The flow is so large that it quickly cleans the surfaces. And whatever dirt is picked up will quickly settle in a large storage tank. The real problem with rain water -if you were to consider using it to drink- is storage. That is where the contamination happens.

However, it is not something to worry about. This type of contamination is not only easy to remove, it also does not matter much for most uses. Much of our daily water use does not require ultra-clean water. Most water is flushed down the toilet. You don't need ultra-pure water to flush your toilets. Nor do you need it to do the laundry. You don't even need it for showers.

But the main problem is not here. It lies in making rain water storage and use easy. As easy as turning on a faucet. Because people are lazy. They want things automatic. And making rain water use automatic is trivial when you are building a house. Unfortunately, most homes are built without such provisions so that leaves retrofitting. Retrofitting however, is expensive and it is not something people will do without incentives. They would rather vote for a desalination plant. That is easy.

So here is an idea for our government. Give out grants and create incentives to retrofit homes. Make water expensive too so people start thinking they need to start saving or do something about it. That would be a sign of leadership. Cancel that desalination plant. There is plenty of water running down the drain after every storm that hits California.