Water from rain barrels rescues plants from drought

GRANDVIEW, Mo. - She knows about water delivery. Kelly Beard-Tittone is an environmental engineer and knows what it takes for the water company to bring water to peoples' homes.

She knows the process -- collection, de-contamination, the adding of chemicals, and distribution through pipelines -- consumes a lot of energy. That's why she hates to use tap water for her lawn and garden. It's also why she bought three 55-gallon rain barrels for her house.

She says it's been a week-and-a-half since rain fell at her house. But she still has 50 gallons of water left from the rain that's being stored in the barrels. She's using it to keep her vegetable garden and non-native plants growing in the intense heat of the early summer drought.

She says she doesn't keep track of how much money she's saving from her water bill. But she says she's saving 20 to 30 gallons a day when she waters from her rain barrels. When 41 Action News contacted her water company, a spokesperson estimated she's saving approximately $10 a month.

Beard-Tittone thinks more people would get rain barrels if water were more expensive. But she hopes people will realize how much they can save over time and the positive impact they can have on the environment.