A Guide to Rain Barrels from the City of Dublin and FSWCD

A Conservationist’s Cask

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A Conservationist’s Cask 

Installing a rain barrel to keep your water bill low and your thumb green

If you feel guilty every time you use the spigot

to water your garden in the spring and summer, you may want to install a rain barrel in anticipation of this year’s growing cycle. A rain barrel is as simple as it sounds; it collects water, typically below the downspout of a gutter, that you can tap into at any time.

The City of Dublin encourages the use of rain barrels, and its connection to Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District (FSWCD) makes getting a proper rain barrel for your home simple.

How it works

If you install a rain barrel for the first time this year, you may wonder why it took you

Unfortunately, it is not quite as easy as

setting out a bucket and waiting for magic to happen. Your barrel will need a water supply, which most often comes from putting a diverter on your gutter’s downspout. Simply place the diverter, included with your rain barrel purchase, onto the spout and let it guide the water into your vessel.

Any time you want to water your plants, place your watering can under the spigot and fill it up.

Mikaela Mohr is the outreach program specialist at FSWCD and says the average rain barrel holds 40-50 gallons. She also encourages emptying it once a week to get rid of pine needles, leaves or seeds from your roof and to prevent mosquitoes from taking up residence in your water stash.

“And if you do actually have mosquitoes seeming to hang out in there, you can buy these things called Mosquito Dunks from Home Depot or Ace Hardware that are $10 or $15 a packet. … It will break down and release a toxin that’s only toxic to mosquitoes. It doesn’t bother people or pets or other animals,” Mohr says.

A budding partnership

FSWCD’s Community Backyards program offers an hour-long class that informs residents about backyard conservation. The program covers rain barrels, native plants, rain gardens, composting and more. At the end of a session, attendees receive a voucher for deep discounts on an approved conservation tool of their choice.

“It’s super easy,” Mohr says. “They just hand over the voucher, they get the discount, they take the rain barrel home and they’re done. Or, they also have the option to buy from whatever store they want and submit it to us and get the check for reimbursement.”

Courses typically take place in the spring and early summer, and Dublin is always on FSWCD’s list of communities to reach with its efforts. The City of Dublin partners with FSWCD to fund the vouchers and rebates that go towards Dublin residents’ chosen products.

“Most of the rebates that we have every year in Dublin get handed out because it’s a limited number,” Mohr says. “This past year, we handed out most of them and met our goal, so I’m happy with that.”

Debunking barrel myths

Mohr says there are some errant beliefs about rain barrels that shouldn’t be holding homeowners back.

“The major misconception I get a lot is that rain barrels are illegal in Ohio,” Mohr says. “They actually aren’t illegal in Ohio. They’re actually encouraged here in Columbus, obviously. But they are illegal in some western states that have severe drought conditions.”

She says another major misconception is that people in an HOA or historic homes district – which includes many Dublin residents, of course – are not allowed to use rain barrels. She recognizes that these may cause tight aesthetic restrictions, and says that if you live in one such home you can simply put your rain barrel in the backyard or out of sight.

“Another thing with installing them is there are a couple different kinds of rain barrels on the market,” Mohr says. “The ones we encourage are ones with a diverter hose.”

The diverter hose allows water to flow back to the downspout once the vessel is full, rather than overflowing and releasing water where the barrel sits or pushing water back up the downspout.

“(The program’s vouchers are) free money, right?” Mohr says. “You save money on your water bill, which can be really helpful. Especially if you have a big, robust garden that you’re constantly watering or you want to water your lawn. It can end up saving you money in the long run.”

Keep an eye on www.franklinswcd.org for updates if you are interested in the Community Backyards program. 

Tyler Kirkendall is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at tkirkendall@cityscenemediagroup.com.