Goleta Resident Diverts Barrels of Free Water from Latest Storm
A Goleta resident is watching is water bill go down as his home made rain barrel system fills up.
John Dickson watched a NewsChannel 3 report earlier this year with tips using trash barrels and hose connectors from the Home Improvement Center in Santa Barbara.
He bought six barrels and some parts, then designed a way to get each full barrel to spill into the next one and put it together.
The system hooks up to one of the down spouts from his rain gutter system. That’s all he needs. The drought hasn’t given the system much of a chance to work, but when solid rain comes through, the barrels fill up fast.
The full barrels are enough to help Dickson have a supply to water a backyard vegetable garden and a few fruit trees for weeks without turning on the hose. During the drought water rates have gone up. With this system, Dickson is expecting to save substantially on his monthly bills.
