ASHLAND — With rising prices everywhere you look, it seems like most people are looking for ways to save a buck this summer. And if that opportunity comes with the added bonus of being good for the environment, so much the better.
“It may seem difficult to imagine, but a 1-inch rainstorm can produce more than 700 gallons of stormwater runoff from the average home’s roof,” said Jane Houin, Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) director. “That’s a lot of water.
“Combine that with the fact that watering lawns and gardens account for nearly 40 percent of household water use in the summer, and the numbers start to add up very quickly that a rain barrel can be a great investment.”
This will be the third year Ashland SWCD has hosted a build-your-own rain barrel workshop, with previous workshops taking place at Honey Haven Farm in Ashland. This year, the workshop will be moving to a new location: Loudonville’s Central Park. The SWCD host the Conservation Chat: Rain Barrels and Beyond on Friday, July 8 at 10 a.m.
Registration will be $65 and includes a barrel, kit, help constructing your barrel on site, snacks, and a $10 voucher for participants to spend at the Farmer’s Basket Market that begins at 11 a.m. that morning in Central Park.
“We’ve all seen the news about rising water bill prices ,” Houin said. “Estimates are that a single rain barrel will save the average homeowner about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months. That really adds up.”
Houin said that the vast majority of rain barrel users (about 80 percent) use their rain barrels for lawn and garden watering, and that once they start using a rain barrel, many homeowners quickly add multiple barrels to their home to harvest even more rain water.
Rain barrels work to improve water quality by preventing excess stormwater runoff. Runoff stormwater can pick up trash, pollutants and even eroded soil or sediment as it makes its way to the nearest waterbody.
One additional benefit Houin added is that rain barrels can even be a statement piece in your landscaping.
“This is the third year we’re offering our Rain Beat on Main Street event in Ashland County, where we showcase and auction some beautiful rain barrels sponsored by local businesses and painted by local artists to raise money for stormwater education,” Houin said.
“This year, we’re going to be brining some of those artists to our rain barrel Conservation Chat and having them share tips and tricks they use when creating their own rain barrels so that our chat participants can have all the information they need to turn their own rain barrels into works of art if that’s something they are interested in as well.”
The Conservation Chat: Rain Barrel Basics and Beyond will take place July 8 at 10 a.m. in Loudonville’s Central Park. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conservation-chat-rain-barrel-basics-beyond1-tickets-269786317137 or can be purchased by contacting Katie Eikleberry at Ashland SWCD at 419-281-7645.
