Latest news with #rainwater
Times
10 hours ago
- General
- Times
How to fit a water butt to save water this summer
Q. With the potential for water restrictions this summer, I would love to install a butt to collect rainwater for my plants. Are there any considerations I should be aware of before attempting to fit one? Keziah, Camberley A. There are many designer and wall-mounted space-saving options available, so take advantage of all your gutter downpipes — and don't hide your water butt out of sight. Whichever style you opt for, ensure you can fit a watering can under the tap; if necessary, buy a stand to raise it. If you have room for more than one butt, I recommend linking two or three side by side to collect even more water. To harvest water from the downpipe, you'll need to buy a rainwater diverter kit that's suitable for either your square or round downpipe, ideally in a matching colour. With your water butt positioned on a stable base next to your downpipe, you can determine the correct height to attach the diverter kit. This measurement is crucial as it must be fitted at a height just above the inlet pipe of the water butt, allowing the diverted water to flow freely into it. However, it should not be higher than the lid of the butt itself, as we want excess water to flow back into the drains when the butt is full. • How to create a Chelsea-inspired water feature The diverter works by intercepting the water in its trough as it runs down the inside edge of the drainpipe, diverting it into the butt. Once full, excess water will flow back into the drainpipe, preventing it from overfilling. To fit the diverter, you first need to cut your plastic downpipe horizontally across using a universal handsaw. It may feel tricky to cut alongside the wall, but it's not impossible. It helps if you can turn the pipe away from the wall as you cut. You may need to loosen the lower fixing wall brackets to facilitate this. With the pipe cut in two and the lower half dropped slightly, you should be able to manipulate the diverter into position. Then, raise the lower pipe to create a snug fit and tighten the wall bracket to secure it. Using the flexi pipes supplied with your diverter kit, link everything together. Fitting a water butt is not only a DIY win for you but an environmental win for us all. Follow Wayne Perrey at
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Moment Jeremy Clarkson's controversial £40,000 pub umbrellas SOAK the decking at The Farmer's Dog pub
This is the moment water collected in Jeremy Clarkson 's controversial £40,000 gazebo soaked the decking at The Farmer's Dog pub. Punters drinking outside his famous watering hole in Asthall, Oxfordshire, watched as staff struggled to drain huge pools of rain water in the umbrella system. The former Top Gear host, 65, clashed with pub experts Sue and Rachel Hawkins over the pricey outdoor addition on the Amazon Prime series Clarkson's Farm. He was originally against the umbrellas for his decking area over worries they would block the view for guests, but eventually agreed to have them. However, they seem to be creating issues as rain water collects in the material with no system in place to drain it out. Footage shows workers scrambling to drain some of the water as they got splashed in the process. They then attempted to contain and redirect some of the liquid away from the heads of people nearby. Customers can be seen standing awkwardly holding their pints after their visit was interrupted by the fiasco, apart from one man who seemed unphased as he tucked into his meal. They then attempted to contain and redirect some of the liquid away from the heads of people nearby A couple then jumped up out of their seats and ran to the other side of the garden to dodge the splash zone. Wez Marlow, 41, visited The Farmer's Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire, last Thursday for his birthday. He captured footage of a torrential downpour which created the huge pools of water in the gazebo. 'Once the channels between them are sorted then yes they will be worth the investment. They the make the decking area usable all year round,' Mr Marlow said. 'Fortunately, it didn't ruin our experience there, we found the food was really good.'
Free Malaysia Today
12-06-2025
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Traces of insecticides detected in rainwater in Japan
Japanese researchers say certain insecticides are also present in rainwater. (Envato Elements pic) PARIS : Pesticides don't just contaminate the air humans breathe or the food they eat. According to recent research conducted in Japan, certain insecticides are also present in rainwater. Scientists at Japan's University of Tokyo recently made a worrying discovery. Residues of several insecticides belonging to the well-known neonicotinoid family have been detected in rainwater. In Japan, neonicotinoids were introduced on a large scale in the 1990s, particularly in rice fields and pine forests. To reach this conclusion, the scientists collected and analysed rainwater samples from the cities of Tsukuba and Kashiwa, both located northeast of Tokyo. Their analyses were carried out between April 2023 and September 2024. They reveal that 91% of samples contained several insecticides from the neonicotinoid family. The highest total concentration was detected in August 2024, the study authors note. Acetamiprid is the predominant insecticide, having been identified in 82% of samples, followed by thiacloprid (73%) and dinotefuran (45%), two other insecticides from the neonicotinoid family. 'This research is the first report on neonicotinoid presence in precipitation, suggesting that neonicotinoids, as low volatile matter, can still be dispersed to the environment via precipitation,' warned the researchers, whose work is published in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Contaminants Research. Potential effects on human health In 2019, another study (also conducted by researchers at the University of Tokyo), published in the journal Science, explained in detail how the large-scale use of neonicotinoids contributed to the destruction of several species of fish, crustaceans, and zooplankton in Lake Shinji (southwestern Japan). Starting in 1993, several rice farmers began spraying imidacloprid on their fields. According to the study, the introduction of this insecticide in areas geographically close to the lake coincided with an 83% decrease in the average zooplankton biomass. While the harmful effects of neonicotinoids on insects (particularly bees) and several other animal species are increasingly well documented, doubts remain about their impact on human health. Given that neonicotinoids target the nervous system, scientists fear (among other things) that exposure to these substances may be linked to neurological disorders. However, these risks remain uncertain at present due to a lack of large-scale studies on the subject.
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
The Panel with Ed Amon and Madison Burgess-Smith Part 2
Photo: 123RF Tonight on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Ed Amon and Madison Burgess-Smith. This half hour the panel hears about the ins and outs of collecting rainwater for drinking and why your council may not approve and they talk to Trevor Goodin, an Oamaru business man who has stepped up to provide a shuttle hospital service for the needy.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Manage what the good Lord gave us'
FAIRMONT — While capturing rainwater to water plants is nice, the City of Fairmont's stormwater crews are handing out 25 rain barrels for a much deeper reason. 'The thought is getting water to infiltrate into the ground, which lowers the amount of water that's going into the streams, which lowers erosion, so there's less sediment and silt in the stream,' John Carson, the City's Water Utility Manager, said. 'It's about cleaning up the streams and watching hot spots like the salt sheds and stuff.' City officials will hold a seminar May 30 in Palatine Park to educate residents about the importance of keeping rainwater from flowing into the river and managing pollution. At the event, officials will also hand out rain barrels to residents for the purpose of diverting rainfall from their gutter downspouts into the barrels. Mike Bragg, the city's wet weather manager, said the event is usually well attended and all the barrels are taken by the end of the seminar. 'It's first, come first served,' Bragg said. 'I've got 25 barrels. Come up into it if you want to. You've got people calling and registering ahead. If you want to give me a call and I'll reserve your barrel for you. If you just show up and I've got barrels left over, we'll put your name on the list and hand them out.' The rain barrel program is part of managing an MS-4, or Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection defines an MS-4 as a water conveyance or system of conveyances that are owned by a state, city, town, village or public entity that discharges to the waters of the US. It's designed to collect or convey stormwater and is not a combined sewer and not part of a sewage treatment plan. The point of MS-4 systems is to prevent stormwater from washing harmful pollution into waterways. Carson showed a before and after photo of the Monongahela River prior to when the city started work to clean it up. Carson said the water was absolutely disgusting. After a stormwater management program was developed for the waterway, fish could live in it again. 'The theory of it is, it helps eliminate water discharging into the streams and things so you can conserve that water and give the homeowners the ability to store water instead of using city potable water to water their plants and gardens with,' Carson said. Carson added the amount of water the barrels retains is little, but it's a good opportunity for public outreach and education. Keeping the river's water quality clean is important to the city. 'What Fairmont's trying to do with a lot of investments into our parks and our recreation, we're really trying to add access to river points. Thinks like kayak drops or fishing piers, especially as we're developing the rail trail along the riverside,' Communications Manager David Kirk said. 'Little things like this where we can inform people on keeping the rivers and streams clean, it creates an environment more conducive to these broader things of river recreation we're trying to tap into in Fairmont.' Above all, no one likes a dirty river. Or dead fish and fishing is fun, relaxing sport. 'You guys who like to fish, you understand the importance of clean streams,' Carson said. 'We're here to manage what the good Lord gave us in this area and make it clean. That's what we're here for.'
