Over the course of the last week, we finally got some real rain. In fact, this is by far the most rain the greater L.A. area has seen since December 2010! Great news, indeed.

But was it enough to make a difference for our city and our trees in this awful drought?

Here at TreePeople, thanks to our underground rainwater cistern, the answer is yes: the rain helped alleviate the drought a lot. That’s because we were able to capture a whopping 81,000 gallons of water from the rooftops and parking lot at our headquarters!

That’s 81,000 gallons of water we prevented from running off into the ocean, carrying trash and pollutants. That’s 81,000 gallons of water we don’t need to take from strained supplies of Northern California or the Colorado River. That’s 81,000 gallons of water that can see us well into — if not all the way through — the dry summer months, as we drip-irrigate the native plants on our one acre of landscaping.

Imagine if ALL of Los Angeles started capturing rainwater? Now that would be a huge step towards water security.