"Water collection can be easier than I thought and we each can make a difference"
-Participant at the Wichita event in Sep. 2009
Rolling into a neighborhood near you in 2010!
With handing out 1202 barrels in 2009 at the Roll Out the Rain Barrel events in Hays, Russell, Victoria, and Wichita we will have one more chance to hand out rain barrels in 2010. With the always increasing need to protect water resources, the BCMSHR WRAPS project has partnered with the Coca-Cola company to provide quality 55 gallon rain barrels at a very low cost. This upcoming spring in late March/early April we will have events throughout the watershed.
These barrels offer many benefits to you, your town, and your landscape. Remember, rain barrels are not a new idea, just a forgotten practice
What is a Rain Barrel?
A rain barrel is the simpliest way to collect and store rain water. Typically plastic 55 gal barrels are converted to collect rain water from your gutter system for use later in the garden and landscape. The water collected from the roof of the house is soft water (water without any chemicals and minerals) making it ideal for garden plants and lawns. By collecting and using rain water, households reduce dependency upon local city utilities for water, thus reducing treated tap water and stormwater runoff into local streams.
FAQ's-
Project Successes-
Registration
You can register via mail for the spring events by simply printing off the registration form and sending it to the respective event you will be attending. Please be advised that $10 will be collected to help cover costs associated with the construction of the barrels. Information on events can be found on the right side of this webpage
Rain Barrel Registration (.doc)
Did You Know?
Did you know that with a 1 inch rain it only takes 88 square feet to fill a 55 gal rain barrel?
- The typical roof area of a house is between 1200-2000 square feet.
- That's 750 - 1250 gallons of water that runs off each time we have 1 inch of rain!
- To calculate the potential harvesting amount of water from a roof, take the area times 0.623. This will give you the amount for 1 inch of rain