Bayside Rain Barrels

Helping to Save the Chesapeake Bay... 
One Rain Barrel at a Time

If You water your lawn for 5 minutes . . .
You use about 50 gallons - enough water to fill a large bath tub!

Never Water Concrete!

• Toilet: 26.7%
• Clothes Washer: 21.7%
• Shower: 16.8%
• Faucets: 15.7%
• Leaks: 13.7%

It's so simple to conserve water and dramatically help the environment... and your checkbook.

Remembering to conserve water throughout your daily routine will eventually turn into such  an ingrained habit that you won't even have to think about it.

You can start water conservation in your home today. Here are some tips to save water:

• Don't let the water run needlessly when washing dishes, shaving, or brushing your teeth.
• Take shorter showers... keeping showers less than 5 minutes can save up to 1,000 gallons per month.
• Plug the bathtub before turning the water on, and then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up.
• Fix leaky faucets: Just one drip a second can waste 2,000 gallons of water per year.
• If practical, try to run the dishwasher or washing machine only when completely full.
• If you live in an older home, consider replacing your plumbing with low-flow fixtures and low-flush toilets.
• Water your lawn only when necessary and consider landscaping with native plants adaptable to your climate's conditions.
• Place a bucket in the shower to catch excess water to later water plants. This also works when washing dishes or vegetables in the sink.
• Use the garbage disposal minimally and compost instead.

Wash only full loads of dishes and laundry. You'll not only save water, but energy as well.

Take a shower instead of a bath. Filling the bathtub uses about 50 gallons of water and you can save 30 gallons by taking a shower.

Shorten your shower to five minutes. Cut back on your shower time and you will rack up big savings in water and energy. Also, install a water-saving showerhead that uses 2.5 gallons/minute.

Think before you flush. Every flush you eliminate can save between two and seven gallons of water.

Fix leaking faucets and toilets. An average of 8% of all home water use is wasted through leaks. Test for a leaking toilet by lifting the lid off the toilet tank and putting a few drops of food coloring into the bowl. Wait a few minutes, then look in the bowl. If the food coloring has made its way there, you have a leak.

Turn off the lights when you are not in the room and cut the air conditioner back when you are not at home. Energy is produced using large volumes of water. Reducing energy demands can reduce the water needed to produce that energy.

The Chesapeake Bay has been called a “national treasure.” Its natural beauty, recreational opportunities and abundance of plant and wildlife have inspired and attracted presidents, foreign dignitaries, writers, fishermen, sailors and just about anyone who has ever visited its shorelines.

In recent decades, however, the Bay has fallen victim to its own popularity. About 16 million people now live in the Chesapeake Bay’s watershed—a figure that has more than doubled since World War II. As Maryland becomes increasingly urbanized and farmland gives way to townhouse developments and gated communities, all citizens are being asked to join farmers and other land managers in protecting the Bay from excess fertilizers coming off the land. Research has shown that fertilizers designed to make our crops healthy and our lawns green can find their way into our waterways where they trigger reactions that rob the water of oxygen, threaten aquatic life, and endanger the long term health of the Chesapeake Bay.

If you decide to paint your barrel, we recommend Krylon Fusion paints or any similar paint made for painting plastic.
 Two cans will cover a barrel. Make sure barrel is clean and dry. 
Do not sand barrel prior to painting.

We recommend you clean and flush barrel yearly. More often if required.
Simply drain the barrel. Remove Flex-A-Spout from barrel.
Place barrel on its side and flush debris out 4" barrel hole with garden hose.

Rain barrels – a new concept for water conservation? No way! 
The idea of capturing rainwater in cisterns is generations old.
Landowners have used cisterns as a way to collect water for water gardens, plants,      washing clothes and even drinking. 

A rain barrel is a rainwater harvesting system that is connected to a downspout                   from a house or building.

The average U.S. household uses 146,000 gallons of water per year with up to 50% of
that water going towards landscaping during the summer months.
By collecting rainwater, one can save energy, water, and money –as much as $600 a year.

Rain barrels also help reduce erosion and storm water runoff and increase water quality.

Rain Barrel FAQ's  |  How To Make A Rain Barrel