NBC4i Promotes Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens at LCSWCD
May 19, 2011
Collecting Rain For Summer Gardens & Protecting The Environment
Rain Barrels (Added: May 18, 2011)
Rain barrels and rain gardens conserve water and protect our watersheds.
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By Ben Gelber, NBC4i
Published: May 18, 2011
NEWARK, Ohio -- Licking County Soil & Water Conservation District will be hosting a rain barrel workshop Thursday, May 19, from 6 to 8 p.m., building rain barrels available for purchase ($50). The rain barrels are designed to collect rainwater and filter rooftop pollutants, while providing a water source for gardens in the summertime when steady rains turn into scattered showers.
The water is not potable, of course, and is meant strictly for gardening and lawn use during the inevitable hot, dry summer stretches. The experts on hand will build in screens to keep mosquitoes from breeding as well.
Rain barrels, and associated rain gardens made up of hardy native plants, are especially effective at filtering stormwater runoff from rooftops and paved surfaces by providing deep roots that enhance infiltration of water, while removing pollutants that otherwise drain into local watersheds and harm aquatic life.
Licking County Soil & Water Conservation District headquarters (771 E. Main St.) will be the site of the first of three workships May 19. There will also be three rain garden workshops.
