For the month of June, the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority in partnership with its member municipalities, sold over 400 rain barrels to local watershed residents. With each barrel holding 210 litres, over 85,000 litres of rainwater will be used each time it rains instead of municipally treated water or water from private wells. This volume is equivalent to an hour of stream flow during the summer in the Ganaraska River, or a four month period of water use for a family of two.
In addition to the cost savings and reduced water demands on private wells and municipal drinking water systems, rain barrels play a role in storm water management. Normally when it rains, roofs shed their water through eavestroughs onto local streets, which are drained trough stormdrains and ditches. This once clean rainwater now contains sediments and contaminants picked up as the rain travels across roads and through storm drains. This untreated water enters local streams or rivers, and Lake Ontario, affecting the quality of water and aquatic habitat. By using rain barrels the clean rain water is used, and improving local water quality. The speed at which the water travels into local streams through storm drains is also reduced through the capture of rain water in the rain barrels.
Although the rain barrel sale is over, the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority will add interested people to a list for future rain barrel sales. For more information contact Pam Lancaster at 905-885-8173 x 247 or plancaster@grca.on.ca.
