Saving rain water seems like a giant undertaking. But visit with Doreen Pollack from Down 2 Earth Gardens and it may become a a little less daunting. In fact, for her, it's kind of a game, here's what she did.

First, she observed. Just watched the rain to see where it fell. Then she bought barrels, tubing and netting at the hardware store. It didn't cost much, but more on that later. Then Doreen got to work! The observation she conducted earlier gave her the knowledge of where to put the barrels exactly. She affixed those 55 gallon barrels with netting over the top so as to eliminate the possibility of mosquitoes or bugs breeding in the water. She also provided the barrels with an overflow outlet (a hole that led to another barrel). Next, she attached tubes to rain gutters on top of her house. The tubes led directly to specific areas Doreen wanted to water. She also created, what she likes to call, a "rain diversion patio." Really, it's a brick patio with a slant. It's located at the edge of her porch, which is attached to her house. The rain used to run off of the roof and erode the soil below. Now, she hopes to guide it to where she wants it via that slant. "Where she wants it," by the way, is a mulch pit that is in her front yard. She made the pit so that rain would be directed to accumulate there. She has plans to plant trees that could utilize that water well.

Doreen has all these systems in place since it really pays off. She has seen her municipal water bill go down. Why? "With my roof line I can capture 600 gallons of water in 1 inch of rain and I've done that by calculating the water shed on my hard surface." Doreen uses that water within 2 to 3 weeks. It doesn't go towards her edible garden, but a hose is attached to the barrels and she usually uses it to water nearby plants.

Seem like a lot of work? Doreen confirms it is. But to her, it's worth it. She saves money, the earth and has fun doing it. But there is help out there. The Phoenix Permaculture Society has a class on the subject the first Sunday of every month. For about $60, students can take the class and walk away with their own barrels. For more information go to www.phoenixpermaculture.org

Finally, how much does all of this cost? Not a lot, according to Doreen. She found all of her supplies at her local hardware store and through recyclables and paid a couple hundred dollars when all was said and done. She also found that the Arizona Department of Revenue will help with some of that. They will give back 25% of the cost to do this, up to $1,000. The only caveat, the water needs to be captured, kept and re-used for it to apply. The rain water can not be "stored" in the ground. Just save those receipts! Doreen can be reached at www.down2earthgardens.com