FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Jason Gerwig
630-407-6022
October 9, 2008

DU PAGE COUNTY AND SCARCE SPONSOR RAIN BARREL PROGRAM

DuPage County Stormwater Management and SCARCE (School and Community Assistance for Recycling & Composting Education) are sponsoring a Rain Barrel Program, which will provide all the public elementary schools in the county with a rain barrel to teach students about water conservation practices and storm water management. 

Rain barrels are large containers that capture rainwater at the end of a downspout, and have a spigot on the front making captured rainwater available.  It is estimated that during the hot summer months, the average homeowner uses 40 percent of the household water in the yard.

Collecting the mineral-rich, chlorine-free rainwater that falls on rooftops can supplement household water use, reducing the demand for tap water and lowering a homeowner’s water bill. 

“Using the rain that falls on your property and not allowing it to run off will help recharge the water supply and reduce stress on creeks and rivers,” notes DuPage County Stormwater Committee Chairman Jim Zay (District 6).

Participating public elementary schools will receive an unpainted rain barrel, instructions for decorating the rain barrel, and educational materials to connect rain barrels to their environmental curriculum.

SCARCE is aiming to have all the rain barrels delivered to the grade schools by October 18, 2008, which is the anniversary of the Clean Water Act.  For more information, or to place your request for a rain barrel, contact Kay McKeen, SCARCE, at 630.545.9710 or ecoed@sbcglobal.net.

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