CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Joe Elizondo has four rain barrels in his backyard — and one rainy weekend filled all of them to the top.
Elizondo, a Corpus Christi resident, picked up his rain barrels through the city. After a recent rainy weekend, I went back to his backyard to see if the barrels lived up to the hype.
"This little rain that came in filled up all the barrels, all the way to the top," Elizondo said.
Together, his four barrels hold 220 gallons of water. When I asked how long that supply would last him, his answer was surprising.
"This is gonna last us another 3 months," Elizondo said.
Elizondo uses the water to keep his grass green and even shares it with his neighbors.
Rain barrels aren't his only water-saving trick, either. He also places a bucket under his roof valley when rain is in the forecast.
"All you need to do is get that black canister and put it right there," Elizondo said.
For those interested in getting their own barrels, Home Depot carries them online at varying prices. The City of Corpus Christi Water Department also sells them — 55-gallon barrels for just $47. The program has been popular: last year alone, the city sold nearly 1,200 of them.
For more information on how to buy rain barrels or for more do-it-yourself tips, visit the city's website here: Rain Barrel Program | City of Corpus Christi
More ways to make the most of the next rainfall:
- Purchase cheap water buckets and position them under your downspouts
- Place a barrel or bucket under the v-shaped valley of your roof
- Connect multiple barrels together to increase storage
- Elevate your barrel on cinder blocks for better water pressure
- Paint your barrel dark to reduce algae growth
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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