First Ever Village Rain Barrel Sale Event
In an effort to promote water conservation (and make your gardens look spectacular!), the Village of Downers Grove and The Conservation Foundation have partnered to make rain barrels available to residents at a reduced price through the month of April.
These 55-gallon, recycled food grade plastic rain barrels come equipped with a spigot, garden hose threaded overflow and screen in the top to help keep out bugs and debris, and have screw off lids.
The barrels can be reserved for $70 each, checks made out to The Conservation Foundation. Reserving as part of the bulk Village order saves residents $15 over the regular price. Color choices are terra-cotta, gray, and black. Indicate your choice of color at time of reservation.
I recommend you follow the link to the village website for details on this first ever event for the village. There you will find links to a wealth of information on the many, many benefits of rain barrels in a downloadable brochure with a printable reservation form, as well as an email link direct to the village for reservations.
A rain barrel will be on display during the month of April at the following locations:
- April 5-9: Park District Recreation Center, 4500 Belmont Rd.
- April 12-16: Downers Grove Public Library, 1050 Curtiss St.,
- April 19-23: Village Hall, 801 Burlington Ave.
- April 26-30: Lincoln Center, 935 Maple Ave.
Additionally, The Conservation Foundation will present information about rain barrels on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Village Hall, 801 Burlington Ave., in the Committee Room.Several Village organizations are supporting this Village effort to generate interest in an inexpensive low-tech and very effective green initiative.
A couple quick facts about rain barrels and water run-off from The Conservation Foundations rain barrel website page:
Some facts about rain barrels and the tremendous impact they can have on our water resources:
- It’s estimated that during the hot summer months, the average homeowner uses 40 percent of the household water in the yard.
- Collecting the mineral rich & chlorine free rain that falls on your roof can help your garden, houseplants and reduce your water bill!
- Modern rain barrels are sealed, safe around children and insect resistant.
- A hose spigot on the front makes the captured rainwater available.
- Keeping the rain that falls on our property, utilizing it and not allowing it to run off will help recharge the water supply and reduce the stress on our creeks and rivers.
- A quarter-inch of rain falling on the average home yields over 200 gallons of water.
A year or so ago I asked the Mayor whether the summer watering restrictions (odd/even addresses on odd/even days) still apply to residents using water from their own rain barrel, and he said yes they did. Changing that would provide an incentive (for those of us who try to abide by the rules) to collect and use rain-water for our gardens.
AJ… I never understood why the watering restrictions applied to people using rain barrels applied, either! It simply should not apply. This is water that is collected, not taken from the Village water source, thereby causing no strain on the water system. Using water that is “gathered” should not be restricted. I, for one, plan on putting come sort of containers in my garden plot at Mar Duke this summer for the same reason. It is recycling at it’s best!
The watering restrictions are based on specific water conservation agreements made when municipalities hooked up to Lake Michigan water. The odd/even days apply to captured rainwater. That captured water use is exempt from further restriction unless it is pumped, which is rare for a rain barrel set up.
Unless you hook it up to a pump there won’t be pressure to run a sprinkler. They work well hooked up to a soaker hose, which is very difficult to tell from the street whether it’s on or not. Not saying be a lawbreaker, just saying the village doesn’t have the time, personnel, or budget to be checking rain barrels.
This is the pertinent section from the Municipal Code:
At tonight’ Village Council meeting, Mary Scalzetti, who is overseeing the project, said it is not the village’s intention to prohibit the use of rain barrel water. She said staff is checking the ordinance for clarification and will clarify the question as soon as possible.
Look for a language change allowing rain barrel usage without restriction to come before council in the near future.
You can use the rain you collect in your barreles anytime you want. As long as you do not use your hose to fill them up.