My rain barrel arrived!
That enormous blue monstrosity is 55 gallons of rain water storage! Free from the Philadelphia Water Department and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. All I had to do was attend a one hour "workshop." This was basically a presentation about how and why these two organizations have partnered to try to reduce the amount of storm water flowing into our extremely aging water infrastructure and what kinds of projects are available - heavily subsidized - to Philadelphia residents to help in the endeavor. The program is called Rain Check and you should definitely check it out!
The program was amazing. Not only can one get a rain barrel, but there are many other projects we can invest in. Including this storm water tool:
This is the one I think I'm going to add to my garden. It is the more economical alternative to the wooden box which does the same thing but costs $150 more, even if it is more handsome. If you click the link to the storm water tools, be sure to scroll down to the video which explains all that you receive - including the soil and plants!
Other projects include: removal of cement back yards, "permeable pavers" for patios, and a rain garden. For rain gardens it must be at least 10 feet away from any basement. So if it is between two houses, neighbors can pool their rebates (up to $2000 each) into one project!
Ever since I took the workshop in July I have been incredibly excited to receive my rain barrel. This is my former way of catching excess rain:
A 5-gallon bucket to catch what runs off the roof.
Well, the cats like the rain water better than tap water, so whaddyagonnado?
These are the kinds of programs, ventures, opportunities in Philadelphia that make me really truly love this city.
Next step? Painting the blue monstrosity! Stay tuned... I'm thinking ladybugs or snowflakes. Not sure which.
No comments:
Post a Comment