Rain barrel report … growing together!

Last summer, we tried something different. Responding to customer feedback and requests for environmentally friendly water-saving tips, programs and resources, LCA offered its first rain barrel workshop. We thought a few of our more “green” customers would appreciate the opportunity to save money on their water bills while also finding use for the rain water that nature provides for their outdoor needs such as gardening and car washing.

The response was overwhelming, with about 100 people attending last year’s event, with many more on a waiting list for future events. In June this year, we repeated the event with similar results.

Now, in an effor to keep the momentum going and to provide additional value to our community, we are partnering with Coca-Cola, Lehigh Valley Syrup Plant, on an ongoing program to make the barrels available to you.

The rain barrel systems that are commercially available today run in the range of $150 to $300. Through LCA’s program, you can get a 55-gallon barrel for free, and make a rain water collection system yourself using our rain barrel diagram and a few supplies from your local hardware store, that should cost no more than $30 to purchase.

Since 2009, LCA has distributed about 220 barrels to customers and residents, and more are available to anyone who is interested in collecting rain water for outdoor use. Simply Contact Us to express your interest, and we will work with you to get you a free barrel!

Rain Barrel Facts & Tips

• Diverting rain water from your downspouts into a collection system like a rain barrel can help reduce stormwater runoff that can overwhelm local utility systems.
• Rain water collected in a rain barrel is great for outdoor uses such as watering gardens and washing cars. Rain water is free, but contains no treatment chemicals that may be present in your tap water, so it is not safe to drink.
• Because rain water doesn’t contain any additives, treatment chemicals or “hardness” (minerals such as calcium), use it to wash windows for a spot-free finish!
• Raise your rain barrel on sturdy, level blocks. The added height will improve water pressure coming from your barrel’s spigot.
• LCA’s barrels are slightly translucent, industrial-grade white plastic drums. Because sunlight can pass through the barrel walls, which can promote algae growth in your collected rain water, we recommend painting the barrel to match your landscape.
• You can increase your rain water collection capacity by stringing two or more barrels together with hoses.

Check out photos on our Facebook page – submitted by some of our past workshop recipients!

Not on Facebook? Download photos here.

Download our rain barrel diagram

Contact Us to request a free rain barrel.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 2:25 pm and is filed under Green Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.