[Greenbuilding] Rainbarrels

[Rob Tom]

On Mon, 07 May 2007 12:47:42 -0400, David Peabody  
<peabody_dp at earthlink.net> wrote:

> [rain barrels] are on the ground, but the garden is down on a lower  
> terrace.

If that's the case, I would look at putting the rain barrels down in the  
garden and either creating spillways set into the surface of the ground or  
burying pipes just beneath the surface, to direct rain water from the rain  
leaders to a point in the garden where it can be distributed to the  
barrels strategically placed around the garden so as to minimise  
jug-lugging distance.

The spillways, if done nicely could be architectural features that enhance  
the yard/garden.
(Think: Louis Kahn/Salk Institute or have a look at Brigitte Shim's work  
for Barbara Frum's garden in Toronto).  At it's simplest, they could be  
bamboo culms or DWV pipe or clay or concrete tile split in half  
longitudinally. At the other end, carved out of granite blocks ... or  
somewhere in between, lazyman's stone (aka concrete).

Weirs and pools could be incorporated into the "stream" on the way to the  
garden for any number of purposes, pragmatic or aesthetic.

This of course means more work for you but since t'missus is going to be  
lugging two 18 litre watering jugs around, it evens out.

-- 
=== * ===
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
< A r c h i L o g i c  at   C h a f f Y a h o o  dot  C a  >
(winnow the chaff from my edress in your reply)