Rain Barrels

I thought a post about rain barrels would be appropriate in honor of our rainy day. Rain barrels are great tools to help conserve water and manage stormwater. During the summer months up to 40 percent of our tap water is used to maintain our lawns and gardens. Rain barrels help reduce that amount by capturing rain water from your downspout that you can then use in lieu of tap water on your garden, lawn, and potted plants, or even to clean your car. You can make your own rain barrel or purchase one. The MWRD is currently selling Rain Barrels for $40. Click here for more information.

A few board meetings ago, Boy Scout Michael Frank was honored by the board for his wonderful rain barrel eagle scout service project. Michael wanted to do a service project that would benefit the environment and chose to focus on water conservation by installing rain barrels in his community of River Forest. For more information on his great project click here.

Also, related to the topic of rain barrels, my articulate and thoughtful colleague, Commissioner Debra Shore, wrote a thought provoking piece entitled A Day Without Water on The Huffington Post awhile back about our dependence on water and how we should take steps to be more responsible with this precious resource.

It's easy to take water for granted and frown on a rainy day, but remember that all water even rain water is a precious gift that we can't live without!