When rain falls on your roof, what happens to it? Unfortunately, most of the rain washes down gutters and over impervious surfaces, transporting pollution into our local lakes and streams.  This is called stormwater runoff.

In 2010 rain barrels were legalized in Utah as a way to capture rain for human use.  Rain barrels have been promoted as a sustainable way to prevent stormwater runoff and help the environment.  But how effective can these be in an arid environment like Utah?  To answer this scientific question we are partnering with schools across Utah to install rain barrels and have students monitor how much stormwater they are able to capture from roof tops.

Students monitor how much it rains using rain gauges and then calculate the volume of rain water captured in the rain barrels.  This data is then reported online so different schools can compare the differences in climate across Utah.  The data is then shared with researchers at the University of Utah who are investigating the use of rain water harvesting to prevent stormwater runoff.

iUTAH

Utah Society for Environmental Education

 US EPA