I built a rain barrel system using a swimming pool of 1100 gallons
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Which states charge you when it rains?
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Maybe he means in the form of charges for water from rain running off into nearby water collection areas? Nearby cities pump and purify river water in nearby counties. Our water in my area is managed by the county but its deep well water that is very good quality.
Try feeding your chickens straight wheat for grain. When i had chickens i did that and i sprouted a small area 100 x60 with wheat i would feed them cuttings off all winter. My chickens were healthy , happy and fed cheaply. In addition bugs and fruit and vegetable rejects were big parts of their diet. Sometimes i grew corn and picked it by hand running it through my $200 hammer mill cob and all. They dont do as well on corn even though it was heirloom reids yellow dent. They need higher protein and wheat is perfect. Cooked soybeans works as well if they are ground and mixed with other grains.
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There are several, but MD charges you. Not for the actual rain, but for the runoff from your roof. They claim shingles pollute. There you actually have to collect it or be charged.
Yes.
I have buried them 2 in a series for grey water from a washing machine 5 years ago. No problem to date. They replaced a metal drum buried 20 years prior.
Standing up of course.
I have also buried one of those big totes with the metal cage around it. We did put a piece of plate on top of that one for insurance, buried deep.
If you are still worried about crushing you could fill them before backfilling.
Good Luck!
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I had a feeling. I live in Maryland. That was a big Republican talking point that went wild on Fox. You are referring to the Stormwater Utility Fees on impervious surfaces. No one ever said shingles pollute, of course, but stormwater fees have been a thing in a lot of places since the 1970’s to try to reduce the impact of impervious surfaces to watersheds.
In the watershed I live in, several people have died this decade due to runoff from all the impervious surfaces along the steep hills in Ellicott City. The county is trying to get it under control, but it’s about impossible as most of our local politicians are funded primarily by developers. Fox did a great job making people believe this was a tax on rain. What it is is a way to get those who generate the most runoff to pay more than those who generate less (as opposed to just taking money from general funds). And you can’t avoid the fees by collecting the rainwater. Not sure where that came from.
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Cincinnati Ohio charges for run off per lot. If I have 8 lots of 1/8 acre I will be charged 8 times as much as someone with a 5 acre lot.
Did you check your regulations carefully? Very often they do not allow to store OPEN rain water because of mosquitos, closed barrels are OK.
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ive thought about making my own feed but wheat doesnt grow well here so its pretty expensive. i can get buckwheat from a local farmer for a good price. not sure of the protein content though.
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Would grab some for sure. I used to store my grain like that whole in rubbermade trashcans outside all winter feeding it to the chickens as i needed it. We dont have bears.
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As long as the whole gave you the support you needed from the deck, that should eliminate that concern.You could always fill in the gaps with sand or soil as well if you didn’t want air pockets.
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My rain storage is simple and limited to four 55 gallon white plastic drums. My setup this year is to just collect enough runoff from my shed and use it for my new plantings. I put a hose spicket on one end and cut the top out the other. Set the drum on a cement block hose connector on the lower side. The water collected is enough most of the time so I might add a few for containers. Soon after starting mosquitto larva started showing up. I could have put a screen over the top but I decided to add a few minnows to the container (4 Tuffies per barrel). After a few weeks the water started to get cloudy looking but surprisingly these minnows are tough and have survived. Recently I started using the water and the plants appear to like it. This is simple and probably not what your wanting but for just a little watering of a few plants it works pretty well.
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Could you divert your downspouts through a basement window to rain barrels? You’d have to pump the water back up but that actually might give you more options if you use pressure compensating/pressure sensitive emitters for drip irrigation.
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So… after reading the local ordinances, there was a new stormwater management plan adopted in November 2020 which was after the last time I looked into this. I know that it had a prohibition of some sort in the prior iteration, but I’m relieved to see I am allowed to make it happen without begrudging neighbors reporting me.
The fact still remains that I have a very limited area to work with at my house, so I am still considering the buried, hidden, “guerrilla” approach for the sake of space saving.
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If you do have a half decent incline bury a 1,000 gallon tank and call it a day. It should not cost that much to have somebody dig the hole for you. The tank itself would be around $500?
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Thanks for the feedback! I actually DO have a bunch of concrete pads and pavers I’m planning on removing, so those could definitely be incorporated into my design.
It’s not only the integrity of the barrels I’m considering but the deck as well, which is a higher priority.
I have access to an excavator (I run it for a living), maybe I should look into a bigger tank. That is a great suggestion.
I looked it up, 1000 gallon tanks are around a dollar a gallon now, most are more. I think my better bang for the buck is still rain barrels.
Do something that would technically make it not rainwater you are storing. Run it through a filtration system. Maybe connect a hose that siphons in water from your tap and call it a “solution” consisting partly of rain water. I like the pond idea others are suggesting. Maybe cut the top off of the barrel and put some goldfish in it. Even if they all go belly-up it is still technically a pond.
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