Rain barrels all the rage with Huron River Watershed Council

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 | Source: Concentrate

Every little bit counts. That's the new mantra for the Huron River Watershed Council when it comes to rain barrels.

The non-profit is selling 500 discounted rain barrels this fall as a way to help keep water runoff in local gardens and out of local sewers, lakes and rivers. When distributed, the 60-gallon rain barrels are expected to catch up to 30,000 gallons of rain water during each rain fall.

Rain barrels store this water and slowly release it into local gardens and plant life. Otherwise this excess water would normally run through yards into sewers and then end up in waterways unfiltered, taking pollutants like fertilizer, oil and dog poop with it. Even though this 30,000 gallons is just a literal drop in the bucket, it and other similar acts can add up in the big picture.

"To address the threats against the Huron River we need a lot of these little actions," says Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council.

Local residents will be able to pre-pay for up to 10 rain barrels and pick them up on Oct.25 between 1-5 p.m. at Huron High School. The rain barrels will cost $95 each, a significant discount from the retail price. More information is available here.

Source: Laura Rubin, executive director of the Huron River Watershed Council
Writer: Jon Zemke