Saving for a non-rainy day

As a new round of storms hit the North State last weekend, gallon upon gallon of fresh water poured off our roofs into our yards. That was great the first day, since Mother Nature hadn’t watered for us in a while, but soon the ground got supersaturated.

Here’s a way to reduce the runoff: Capture raindrops in a rain barrel. You can buy one, of course (Google has plenty of eager sellers just a search request away). But if you’re handy, a rain barrel is a relatively simple project, and you may well be able to get the most expensive component—the barrel—free from car washes or other businesses that go through liquids 55 gallons at a time.

For the necessary know-how, the Environmental Protection Agency has a straightforward guide posted online.