Russ Bussard, director of real estate and facilities at Westinghouse headquarters in Cranberry Township, stands in the rain garden Wednesday outside Westinghouse's offices. Rain gardens add a touch of color to the yard and are constructed to absorb water and help slow stormwater runoff that could lead to flooding.

The ol' cliche says, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

But since life sometimes hands Butler County a generous heaping of precipitation — more than 22 inches since the beginning of the year — some people are making rain gardens.

And rain barrels.

And use of rain chains.

Rain and stormwater harvesting tools like these are gaining popularity in our go-green culture.

“We have this one planet,” said Mike Arblaster, 35, of Slippery Rock. “The better stewards we can be, the better it is for the planet.”

Many people like Arblaster, who waters his vegetable and herb gardens with water collected from two rain barrels, say the benefits of controlling rainwater are multifold.

First, the more rainwater a person recycles, the less he draws on our limited supply of potable water.Second, controlling the path and absorption rate of rainwater slows erosion, benefiting downhill neighbors who can become flooded or have landslides.And, finally, there's an end product with utilitarian and quirky uses.“You can wash your car, water your garden, water your dog,” said Lorin Meeder, Cranberry Township's environmental programs coordinator.Cranberry several times a year offers an “extremely popular” educational program about rain barrels and rain gardens, Meeder said.Fifth grade students at Haine Middle School, who call themselves the Rainmakers, teach about the benefits of rain barrels. And participants leave with a free barrel worth about $100.During the three years of the program, more than 130 barrels have been distributed.Rain barrel water collection systems — which can be effective as small, homemade contraptions or elaborate, professional products — rely on the same concept: They attach to the bottom of a downspout to store precipitation from a roof, thwart runoff and collect usable water.“It's fantastic,” said Bob Fielder, who collects water in a 50-gallon rain barrel to water all five flower islands at his home in Cranberry's Deer Run neighborhood.According to Butler County Department of Recycling and Waste Management, rainwater collection will average about a half-gallon of water per square foot of roof during a 1-inch rainfall. A typical half-inch rainfall will fill a 55-gallon barrel.Fielder said his barrel collects enough water to satisfy his elaborate landscaping, which includes one flower bed that is 95 feet long.“I would add another rain barrel, but just for convenience,” he said.

On a larger scale, the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research at Slippery Rock University uses rainwater all summer to feed the entire 10-plot “community” garden.Center director Thomas Reynolds said rainwater from a 40- by 20-foot section of barn roof is siphoned through a downspout to a 300-gallon cistern. To create water pressure, the cistern is positioned about 13 feet off the ground.The water travels to the garden via a hose and water cans. For convenience, the cistern water also supplements 55-gallon barrels located in the garden.Reynolds said at the height of summer the center sometimes needs to ration out the collection. But now, “It's full.”Reynolds, who has a smaller version of the same concept at his Slippery Rock home, said he is aware some people use collected rainwater for drinking and indoor uses, such as filling a toilet.But because the region is susceptible to polluted “acid” rain and many people have old, dirty roofs, he doesn't recommend the practice without also using a filtration system.And some communities, Reynolds said, have code restrictions for indoor use of rainwater.Combating mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water, can be another issue when using barrels.Reynolds said it's not a problem at the Macoskey Center because the water turnover is quick enough to circumvent mosquito breeding.Home systems sometimes use screened lids that deter mosquito breeding. In other cases, people add chemical tablets purchased at hardware stores, dish detergent or goldfish, Reynolds said.Garden centers sell rain barrels in different styles and shapes. Some are even designed to blend in with landscaping rocks.But the Butler County Department of Recycling and Waste Management encourages thrifty gardeners to make their own from “a large trash can and a little ingenuity.”

Sheryl Kelly, coordinator of the county program, said man-made rain gardens can also help neighbors downstream while adding a touch of color to the yard.Rain gardens, she said, are bowl-shaped or saucer-shaped island gardens constructed to absorb water.“This is a great way to help slow stormwater runoff. It prevents flooding downstream or into neighboring yards,” said Kelly, who is planning a rain garden for her yard this summer. “And it filters contaminants that often come off people's roofs.”Rain gardens also can range from small homeowner creations to complex bioretention gardens.Kelly and Meghan Pohl of Quality Gardens in Adams Township said rain gardens are particularly catching on with developers and in communities with a lot of new development.Kelly said to create a rain garden, a homeowner should remove the sod and dig a shallow depression about six inches deep in the ground. They should be at least 10 feet from a home's foundation.Layer sand, gravel, mulch and soil that will absorb and filter the incoming water flow. Select native, hardy plants for the top.Pohl said there are plenty of pretty native perennials that “like to have wet feet” and therefore work well atop a rain garden. Those include Siberian irises, lobelia and a variety of “bog” grasses.Homeowners should direct their downspouts or drainage landscaping into the gardens.

Or, instead, for added rainwater attraction, some homeowners are buying rain chains.Rain chains, which trace their origins to Japanese temples, perform the same function as downspouts.But the chains, generally made of copper, guide the water visibly through a series of links or cups to add aesthetic value.Although they come in many different styles, links and loops are most popular in Western Pennsylvania because they can freeze in the winter.Pohl, who sells and owns rain chains, switches hers out in the winter for a traditional downspout to keep the weight of the ice from pulling on her gutters.But other local rain chain owners leave them up year-round.“And believe it or not that is equally gorgeous,” said Valerie Wilson, who has had a cup-style rain chain at her Zelienople home for three years.Wilson said her rain chain, which is about 10 feet long from roof to drainage, was gifted to her after she fell in love with the way it looked.But she's since learned “It makes a cool sound. That's my favorite part. ... It works just as well as a downspout, and it's a thousand times more attractive.”

Valerie Wilson uses this rain chain instead of a gutter at her home in Zelienople. The chains perform just like downspouts, but are generally made of copper and bring an aesthetic value to the property.

Water rushes through a rain chain attached to a gutter. The links and loops style of rain chains are popular in Western Pennsylvania because they can safely freeze in the winter. Below, a spout is attached to a rain barrel. These barrels help people recycle rainwater and use it for gardening or even washing their dogs.

Bob Fielder uses his rain barrel to fill up a bucket so he can water his plants May 27 at his home in Cranberry Township. Fielder's barrel holds 50 gallons of rainwater that he uses to water flowers.

A spout is attached to a rain barrel. These barrels help people recycle rainwater and use it for gardening or even washing their dogs.