With the all rainfall in New York lately, it is a great time to think about rainwater collection. Conveniently, the New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has started it's rain barrel giveaway program for this year. The pilot program, which started in the spring of 2008 aims to reduce the strain on water supplies during the hottest summer months by allowing people to collect rain water for watering their garden or lawn. Rain water collection also help the sewers from overflowing during heavy rain.If you are lucky enough to have a yard or garden in New York, this is a great program. You can save all the rain water from all those spring showers for the dryer months of summer. In general, using drinking water for your lawn seems like a waste. Plus the barrel will save you money on your water bill.
The DEP started with a total of 750 barrels for free distribution. They are available on a first come, first serve basis to households until July 10th. You can register to get yours here. There also also two workshops on rain barrel installation in the coming weeks.
photo Credit: patriotworld on flickr
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