CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After a rainy weekend in Corpus Christi, I went back to check on a resident I first introduced you to in February — and his rain barrels were delivered.
Joe Elizondo first showed me the rain barrels he picked up from the city back in February. After the much-needed rain this weekend, I returned to his backyard to see if they actually worked.
"This little rain that came in filled up all the barrels, all the way to the top," Elizondo said.
Elizondo has 4 of those barrels, and together they hold 220 gallons of water. One weekend of rain filled every single one of them.
I had to ask the obvious question.
"How long will this last you?" I said.
"This is gonna last us another 3 months," Elizondo said.
Three months — from one weekend of rain. Elizondo uses the barrels to water his grass and even helps out his neighbors.
But rain barrels aren't his only trick. Elizondo also places a bucket under his roof valley when he knows rain is coming.
"All you need to do is get that black canister and put it right there," Elizondo said.
For those curious about cost, Home Depot carries rain barrels on its website at varying prices, though they were not available in-store. The City of Corpus Christi Water also sells them — 55-gallon barrels for just $47.
And people are buying. Last year alone, the city sold nearly 1,200 of them.
More ways to make the most of the next rainfall:
- Place a barrel or bucket under the v-shaped valley of your roof
- Purchase cheap buckets and Position buckets under your downspouts
- 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
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