How to Capture Rain at Home

Hey TreePeople,

Although it doesn’t look like rain is in the forecast for the foreseeable future, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared once the winter storms come back!

Contrary to popular belief, Los Angeles is NOT a desert but rather a chaparral biome with hot summers and cool and wet winters. In recent years, winter rain has been getting less and less frequent which equals even drier summers.

Our water harvesting expert, Chris Imhoff, recently hosted a webinar with folks across the region to learn about ways we can reduce our dependence on imported water at home. Check out the video below!

Here’s some awesome takeaways and tips you can use at home to harvest rainwater:

1. In a typical rainstorm that drops 1 inch of rain in Los Angeles, 3.8 billion gallons of water drains into the ocean. That means 1,000 gallons that could be used by each person in the city is treated like waste!
2. Rain barrels can be used to collect rainwater from your gutters. Try installing one near your garden and connect a hose to it so you can use the water for your plants. You can even connect them to each other for maximum collection!
3. Did you know that rain barrels can be connected to air conditioning units? Water condensation that drips from the unit can also be collected and used.
4. Use the power of landscaping to transform your lawn into a bioswale. This feature can help retain water that would normally wash into storm drains and even helps support native rain gardens.

We have tons of resources on how to make the most of your rainwater at home. But the best place to start is to assess your house and how it works as a mini-watershed. Check out this guide below!

Los Angeles-based TreePeople is the region’s largest environmental movement, whose mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment. Visit us at treepeople.org and learn how you can join our cause.