August 25, 2010
It doesn’t rain much in San Diego, but then, you don’t need much rain to fall in order to collect a sizeable amount of water. Did you know that just 1 inch of rain falling on a 1,000 square foot roof can be harvested as 600 gallons of water?
When connected to a roof downspout, a rain barrel can capture and store roof runoff for gardening and other non-potable water use. Temporarily storing rainwater in enclosed rain barrels reduces storm water runoff by slowing water and allowing it to infiltrate into the ground. Rain barrels also help to conserve water and can reduce your water bill.
On Saturday, you can learn more about rainwater harvesting – and buy a discounted rain barrel. The County Watershed Protection Program is providing information and subsidized barrels from 8 a.m. to noon at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, located at 12122 Cuyamaca College Drive, West, in El Cajon, 92019.
The County is subsidizing 200 rain barrel systems on a first come, first served basis for residents of the unincorporated County. With the subsidy, a rain barrel system can be purchased for $30.35 plus tax. Without the subsidy, a rain barrel system can be purchased for $60.69 plus tax.
The purchase includes a 55-gallon opaque white rain barrel, one downspout diverter, an installation guide, and one year product warranty. For more information, visit
www.rethinkwateruse.org.
 Email Updates Get County news and information delivered to your inbox
  
|
