"I've emptied my rain barrel a number of times and prayed for more rain to fill it up," said Lew, a Cary resident who uses the water to douse her plants and shrubs.

The rain barrel isn't the answer for thirsty plants during a drought. But, for Lew and others, it's part of one.

Rain barrels and cisterns, which are larger, collect rain water as it drains off roofs. It can then be used for irrigation and other purposes.

Lew lugs water from her barrel to her azaleas, rhododendrons and hydrangea. In downtown Raleigh, a 1,900-gallon cistern provides water for irrigating and filling up toilets at an architecture firm.

A drought might not seem the best time to invest in a system that collects rain water, since not much is falling from the sky. Rainfall for this year is more than 7 inches below normal for the Triangle, leaving some reservoirs many feet below their banks. Customers of Raleigh and Durham water systems must follow limits on when they can water their yards, among other things.

But avid gardeners agree: Every drop counts when it's dry. This week, when about 2 inches of rain fell on the Triangle, barrels filled up, providing a source of water for plants and shrubs later.

Using rainwater means less tap water is used for irrigation. Gardeners say it's also better for plants, including house plants, because rainwater doesn't have the chlorine and other chemicals found in treated water.

"The less chemicals in the water, the better your plants will do," Lew said.

Richard Crume included two 65-gallon barrels when he built his home in Durham's Solterra neighborhood a couple of years ago. The barrels are connected to his gutter downspouts, which are a bit shorter than usual so they run into the barrel instead of onto the ground.

"It's been handy over the last couple of months to use them to keep the plants alive," Crume said.

Still, barrel sales are down at the sites where Wake County sells them, said Ken Cromartie, an engineering consultant for the county. About 250 have been sold by the county during this fiscal year, which started July 1. The barrels are sold all year.

By contrasts, barrel sales were booming in Cary in 2002, the last time the region was in a drought. In one day in July 2002, the town sold 175 barrels and took orders for another 75. Barrels are now sold in Cary as part of the Wake County program.

"A number of us were just absolutely confounded that during this drought the numbers actually dipped, which is very, very strange," Cromartie said. "Unless it's right in front of someone, many of us humans tend to be reactionary. We don't react until well after the fact."

Barrel users say there are some drawbacks.

One or two barrels won't collect enough water to irrigate a lawn.

And you can't lug around a rain barrel, so the plants and flowers that need a drink must be downhill from the barrel. Or you have to be willing to haul buckets of water to the flora.

Or, like Tracey Oliveto, you can haul water to a washing machine. Oliveto, a member of the city's water conservation task force, uses water from the barrel in front of her Boylan Heights home for laundry.

"I just sleep at night knowing I'm doing everything," said Oliveto, a yoga instructor. "I feel better. I know it's good karma."

Cisterns, which are larger, more expensive and more elaborate, with pumps, aren't a quick solution.

Cisterns have been installed at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation for Wildlife and Learning, an outdoor education center in West Raleigh, and at two Wake County schools -- Heritage Middle School in Wake Forest and Millbrook Elementary in Raleigh.

At Brown & Jones Architects on Person Street, a 1,900-gallon cistern is used for irrigation and flushing toilets. A back-up system sends water to the bathrooms when the rainwater gets low.

Architect Charles Brown said it works well.

"It's full now even though we have been in the drought," Brown said. "It doesn't take long to fill it up."