The history of the barrel dates back to Babylon, Rome and the origins of the rain water barrel. However, rainwater harvesting could be traced back to its very beginnings. “Man”. Most likely, the “cave man”Rainwater was collected for later use. It is impossible to know exactly how this was done, however we can speculate and these theories fuel our creative minds. It is likely that they caught the water using animal skins, although it’s impossible to know for certain.
There was the wooden barrel before it became popular. “clay barrel”or an urn. These containers were first used for oil and wine. However, they are likely to have been used for rain water collection since India, in the third century B.C. there is not only mention of rainwater harvesting, but there is also a note that “Members of the community who did not participate in the activities of water management were punished.”* I have no idea what this punishment may have been but I’d be willing to wager that it was more severe than the fine you might be subjected to in Southern California for violating the water conservation rules.
Rainwater harvesting was used in Ethiopia as far back as 560 B.C. However, the oldest recorded rainwater harvesting date is thousands of years earlier. Evidence of water harvesting in Southern Mesopotamia dates back to 4500 B.C. While the Roman Empire didn’t use the barrel until around 300 AD (though they were used for some time by the Gauls), you can see the importance of the rainwater bar in rainwater harvesting. Although it is not known when wood barrels first began to collect rainwater, one could assume that this was shortly after the common use of barrels.
The cylindrical barrel is what we associate with barrels. But it became a measure unit in English. Although it changed over time, it was always between 31-42 gallons. Prior to the introduction of metal drums or cardboard containers, the preferred shipping container was the barrel. Barrels have been used for around 2000 years. Barrels could be used for everything, from fine wine and whiskey to gold coins and nail polish. Because they could hold liquids, they are ideal for collecting rainwater. A rainwater barrel is often found in old Westerns. It was likely left over from something shipped.
Technology has advanced to the point that most people can now use it. “rainwater barrels” are made of plastic and come in all sizes and shapes from the traditional barrel to shapes resembling a child’s building block The most un-traditional of these is an Australian innovation called the Rainwater HOG, which was invented by Sally Dominguez, an Australian inventor and architect. This unique shape is very different from a standard barrel. Its shape is similar to a traditional barrel. “Gumby” or a green domino. The majority of the others look more like containers or tanks, but plastic allows for some creativity. The following are the only ones I will mention. “HOG”It is unusual because of its name.
In Southern California, today there is an acute water shortage despite the fact that it seems there has been some rain. Because the rain fell into storm drains, and then ended up in the ocean, very little of it remained. It would be beneficial to use rainwater harvesting in many ways. Although you wouldn’t want to consume rainwater due to roof contaminations or just the LA air quality, there are many uses for rainwater. Rainwater collection systems can be used to water your lawn and wash the cars. You could also have rainwater collection systems if you run a golf club. “green”If you can forgive the bad humor, greens. It is important to remember that Southern Californians can still save rainwater for their future needs.