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Rain Barrels and Tanks
Why Harvest Rainwater?
Capturing and reusing your rainwater is a great way to reduce polluted runoff while collecting free water for your plants and garden. Almost any home or building can collect rain in small barrels that can be used to water pollinator and vegetable gardens.
For those with more space and watering needs, a larger rain tank can provide you with free, reusable water, for much of the summer.
Whether you're harvesting rainwater in a barrel or a tank, you're helping to reduce stormwater runoff during heavy rains. And by using the water later, plants can soak up that water during dry times of the year, which can save you on your utility bills.
In the past, PCD has hosted a very popular rain barrel workshop series where residents can construct their own rain barrels to take home with them. We hope to offer these workshops again soon to help more people harvest their rainwater.
Rain barrels are great projects anyone can do to start capturing rainwater. Small barrels can hold 50 - 80 gallons of water, making them easy additions to any home.
Need more water? Consider getting a rain tank! These large cisterns can hold 200 - 800 gallons, giving you plenty of water for your gardens during the dry summer months. With a little help from PCD, you can start harvesting rainwater to use in an easy-to-use irrigation system for your yard.
You can find more support to get started by visiting our resources page.
Green Stormwater Mini-Grant | Get up to $4,000 and support to harvest rainwater in a rain tank | Apply for a mini-grant by Nov. 17 |
Splash Grant | Get up to $4,000 to support a water quality project in Tacoma | Click here to learn more |
Watershed Council Grants | Get up to $2,500 for projects that help recover one of Pierce County's three watersheds | Find grants available for your watershed here |