Rain Barrels for Water Conservation and Stormwater Management

City of ChicagoDepartment of Environment

Natural Resources and Water Quality

Overview

1. Why conserve water and manage stormwater?

2. Disconnecting your downspout3. Rain Barrel installation and

maintenance

Our water resources are not infinite.

Every faucet, sink, bathtub, shower, hose, sprinkler, dishwasher, washing machine and car wash in the city uses water from a single

source: Lake Michigan.

The Chicago Region uses 2.4 billion gallons of

water a day. That is more water than

4500 Olympic swimming pools.

PresenterPresentation Notes

Chicago’s Combined Sewer System (CSS)

Diagram courtesy of City of Chicago Dept. of Sewers.

PresenterPresentation NotesTo understand this, it’s helpful to know that Chicago’s sewer system is a Combined Sewer System (CSS). This means that Chicago’s sewers combine stormwater (all the water that falls on your roof and gutters, and all of our outdoor water use that ends up in the streets, and thus the sewers) with wastewater (everything that goes down the drain in your house and industries across the city).

Under normal conditions, this mix of stormwater and wastewater is sent to the treatment plant before it is released into local waterways. But during heavy rains, the sewers can get too full, and this mix of stormwater and wastewater can be released into local waterways before it is treated.

This sewer overload can also cause flooding in streets and basements. So, how can rain gardens help?

Additional info if asked:MWRD’s Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (TARP) system is being built to help hold some of this excess water during overflows, and ideally prevent these CSOs from occurring. The reservoirs will be completed in stages from 2007-2019.The city sewer system is designed to accommodate a storm event of a 5-year magnitude, equivalent to about 1.2-in in 20 minutes or about 1.8-in in 1 hour?? The probability that a 5-year storm or greater will occur is about 20% in any one year, or 50 percent over a 3-year period, or 67% over a 5-year period.The water is always treated after taken from the lake, so stormwater doesn’t affect our drinking supply, just the lake and river habitats, and basement flooding!In fact, Chicago has some of the cleanest drinking water around, with strict regulations for quality (see DWM’s website). Bottled water doesn’t have any regulations on quality.

Stormwater Impacts• Flooded Basements• Untreated sewage in Chicago waterways

Adverse Impacts on Biodiversity:•Erosion and flooding•Impaired habitat for plants and animals

Clean Water Network

PresenterPresentation NotesExcess water volumeDegraded water quality

•Reduce amount of impervious surface areas

• Utilize landscape and soils to support the natural flow of stormwater

•Rain barrels, rain gardens, green roofs, permeable paving, bioswales, etc.

Available online http://www.cityofchicago.org/Environment

“Soft” Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs)

PresenterPresentation NotesThe first step in managing stormwater is preventing it from going into the sewer system.

http://www.cityofchicago.org/Environment

Disconnecting your Downspout:First determine if conditions are appropriate

NO

YES

APPROPRIATE?

NO

APPROPRIATE?

YES

APPROPRIATE?

NO

Rain Gardens!

Shallow depression to collect water Turf strip for filtering

and aesthetics

Deep-rooted native plants to absorb water

Overflow should drain away from home into plants or mulch

Disconnecting your Downspout – How To

PresenterPresentation NotesSee Disconnect Downspout brochure

Rain Barrel: Container that collects and stores rainwater from your rooftop (via a disconnected downspout) for later use on your lawn or garden

• Conserve water and preserve Lake Michigan

• Manage stormwater• Help plants thrive by giving

them chlorine-free rainwater

Preparing to install your rain barrelConditions similar to disconnecting

downspout

One inch of rain on a 1000 sq.ft. roof = about 625 gallons

If 4 downspouts, one downspout will take about 156 gallons in a one-inch rain.

Even in a half-inch rain, it would overflow the barrel by 20 gallons.

11 out of the 45 rain events in a 12-month period in 03-04 were half an inch or more.

Tools: – Aluminum downspouts: Hacksaw, 6 screws

and a screwdriver. – PVC downspouts: Hacksaw, PVC cement.

Optional: – Hose to attach to spigot; – Concrete blocks to place raised barrel on.

Installing your rain barrel1. Place your barrel near the downspout you

have selected, and plan out how you will direct the downspouts.

2. Disconnect your downspout from the sewer system by sawing the downspout above where the top of the rain barrel will be, leaving room for the elbow to be attached.

3. Attach a downspout elbow to the end of your downspout so that water from your downspout is directed into the rain barrel through the plastic screen vent on top.

Installing your rain barrel (cont.)

4. Secure elbow to downspout (Aluminum with screws; PVC with PVC cement).

5. Place your rain barrel under the downspout elbow.

Optional: Attach a hose to the spigot, and/or to any overflow hole.

Rain Barrel Use, Maintenance and Mosquito Prevention

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER• Use the water OFTEN for any

outdoor use• Barrel will probably overflow; this

is normal.

• Check regularly for leaks and mosquitoes

• Winter: leave drain hole and spigot open, or store upside down or inside

• See handout for more…

Creative renovation

PresenterPresentation NotesCredit: Cathie Van Wert

To Learn More…

– Department of Environment website: www.cityofchicago.org/Environment

– Conserve Chicago Together website:– www.cityofchicago.org/ConserveChicag

oTogether– Call the Chicago Department of

Environment Water line: (312) 743-WATER

http://www.cityofchicago.org/Environmenthttp://www.cityofchicago.org/ConserveChicagoTogether

�Rain Barrels for �Water Conservation and Stormwater ManagementOverviewThe Chicago Region uses 2.4 billion gallons of water a day. That is more water than 4500 Olympic swimming pools. Chicago’s Combined Sewer System (CSS)Stormwater ImpactsSlide Number 6Disconnecting your Downspout:�First determine if conditions are appropriateAPPROPRIATE? APPROPRIATE? APPROPRIATE?Rain Gardens! Disconnecting your Downspout – How ToRain Barrel: Container that collects and stores rainwater from your rooftop (via a disconnected downspout) for later use on your lawn or gardenPreparing to install your rain barrelInstalling your rain barrelInstalling your rain barrel (cont.)Rain Barrel Use, Maintenance and Mosquito PreventionCreative renovationSlide Number 19To Learn More…