CP digest 410 -Reply Rainwater Collection
Robert St-Jean (robert.st-jean@es2.es.emr.ca)
Tue, 18 Jul 1995 16:09:35 -0400
Here in Ottawa the amount of soot in the air
is too small for it to really matter if the
material is collected with the rainwater
since there isn't very much industry in the
area. As well, the material sometimes
precipitates and can be skimmed off the
surface of the water that is collected. The
little amount of contamination that is
present in rain in the first few minutes
usually will not harm the plants, unless your
area is very polluted and depending on the
contaminants and sensitivity of the plants.
When I know its going to rain and I have the
chance, I often just spray the Aluminum roof
of my shed with the hoze and flush out the
gutter and plastic container. It is important
to use a good quality plastic container like a
Rubbermaid garbage can to avoid leaching
of any material from the container into the
water if water is to be stored for an
extended period of time. If you are not
sure, you can line the container with plastic
sheathing.
Rob in Ottawa