"It is that time of year again to start thinking about water conservation and saving rain water" said Jill McGinnis of the Tewksbury Garden Club. "Rain fall is hard to gauge. Harvesting rain water with a rain barrel can mitigate the irregular patterns of rainfall. To help homeowners and the town manage their water supplies, Tewksbury Garden Club is working with the Tewksbury DPW to offer residents the opportunity to purchase rain barrels at a discount" said McGinnis.
Each year homeowners face high prices for water and sewer. Saving rain water helps homeowners conserve water. Rain water is a free healthy alternative; it is organic, has no chlorine, no fluoride and no chemicals. It is an excellent water source for plants, gardens, lawns and any non-potable use. Regular use of a rain barrel can pay for itself in one season. One tenth of an inch of rain on a 1000 square foot roof --about 25 minutes of moderate rainfall-- will fill a 60-gallon rain barrel. New England typically receives 17" of rain during the growing season from May through September.
Drought conditions stress residential landscaping and town water facilities. In 2016, 168 communities in Massachusetts faced restrictions on nonessential outdoor water use - 47% of the Cities and Towns in the state. There is no restriction on rainwater use.
Tewksbury chose to work with the Great American Rain Barrel Co., a local food importing company that has been repurposing shipping drums into rain barrels since 1988. The Great American Rain Barrel Co has been an approved vendor by the MassDEP since 2010.
There will be a rain barrel displayed inside the Tewksbury Public Library throughout the month of April for residents to see. There will also be a display at the Tewksbury Garden Club Plant Sale on Saturday May 18th from 9am-2pm. Barrels are being offered to residents for $69 and will be available for pick up on Saturday June 1st, 12:00-4:00pm at the Tewksbury DPW 999 Whipple Road. Deadline for purchase is May 27 at midnight. To participate in the rain barrel visit: https://www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com/community/ and search for Tewksbury.