Carolina Clear publishes rainwater harvesting guide for homeowners

Published: June 7, 2011

Carolina Clear image by: Carolina Clear

NORTH CHARLESTON — To help property owners reduce their watershed footprint and save money and water, Carolina Clear, Clemson University’s stormwater education and involvement program, has produced a rainwater harvesting guide and video for homeowners.

The 28-page manual is available free as a low-resolution pdf download here.

A printed copy of the manual can be purchased for $8 through the Clemson University Public Service Activities online Shopping Mall at https://shopping.clemson.edu   or at all county Extension offices. 

For Extension office locations visit www.clemson.edu/extension. Please call to check availability.

Carolina Clear also has produced a step-by-step video to help build rain barrels. Click here to watch the video on Carolina Clear’s YouTube channel.

The popularity of rain barrels and other methods of rainwater harvesting have grown enormously as more people become aware of the effects of their homes and yards on nearby waterbodies.

A 1,000-square-foot roof catches more than 600 gallons of water from just one inch of rainfall. Rain barrels also are good for the environment because they reduce stormwater flow, which causes erosion and can carry pollutants from yards and streets into streams.

Regional Carolina Clear consortia regularly host workshops around the state where the public learn how to make their own rain barrels and take a completed barrel home. More than 150 South Carolina citizens have already attended these workshops, and this manual helps make information available to a much wider audience, said Katie Giacalone, Carolina Clear’s statewide coordinator.

This new manual seeks to inform readers of the benefits — environmental, financial and horticultural — of small-scale residential rainwater harvesting, she said. Readers can find guidance on the multiple considerations of rainwater harvesting and rain barrel design for the water- and cost-savvy rain harvester.

Rain barrels utilize an age-old concept of reusing rainwater to irrigate gardens and lawns, water plants and wash cars, among other uses.

About 50 full barrels of captured and used rainwater will just about cover your investment in supplies to build the barrel and make irrigation water available for your lawn, even during times between storms, Giacalone said.

Carolina Clear’s manual guides you through the process of installing a rain barrel at home, including types of barrels, dos and don’ts, design considerations and site preparation.

The manual also details rainfall patterns in South Carolina, the potential affects of stormwater on local waterbodies and other ways to create a more low-maintenance, environmentally friendly home landscape.

“Stormwater moves to our rivers, lakes and other waterbodies untreated,” Giacalone said. “This guide emphasizes one way we all can help improve the quality of our environment — starting at home.”

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Carolina Clear
Carolina Clear is a stormwater education and involvement program of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and the Center for Watershed Excellence. The program’s goal is to minimize polluted stormwater runoff by educating the general public, youth, builders, developers, homeowners and government officials about how they can keep water in the state’s streams, rivers and basins as clean as possible.