Many homeowners are collecting water in rain barrels not only to protect this resource but to SAVE MONEY! Rain is a naturally soft water without minerals, chlorine and fluoride. For this reason, plants respond very well to rainwater. Learn more from Susan Ask about urban hydrology and how to harvest rainwater as a strategy to conserve water, reduce flooding and grow a beautiful garden. Ms. Ask is an environmental scientist and educator working on urban environmental issues. She is, also, the director of Neighborhood Ecology and a watershed specialist with Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.