Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW) and Sierra Club teamed up this year to share water-saving ideas throughout Central Ohio. On Sept. 21, a crowd of 40 people gathered for a demonstration to learn how to use and install rain barrels, an environmentally-friendly way to conserve and collect water for plants and outdoor use.

Jonathan Meier from Rain Brothers installed a rain barrel where the water will be used for a community garden at the corner of E. Kossuth and S. 17th Streets in the city’s urban east side. The rain barrel was donated by Rain Brothers for the Sierra Club raffle. The winner of the raffle donated the rain barrel for use by the community garden. FLOW offered a cost share program for Columbus residents to purchase discounted rain barrels, thanks to funding provided by the City of Columbus. Discounted rain barrels under this program start at $30 depending on the model you choose.
Representative Dan Stewart attended the workshop and talked briefly to the crowd about his strong interest in sustainability and the need to expand community gardens.

This year, 200 households have participated in rain barrel workshops. An average house can collect roughly 560 gallons from a 1-inch rain storm. Rain barrels help cut utility bills and reduce pollution from storm water runoff into our streams. Rain water washes pollution into local waterways, including lawn chemicals, fertilizers, automotive fluids, and bacteria. Excessive rain water can also overload sanitary sewer systems, causing sanitary sewer overflows and basement back-ups.

Look for additional Sierra Club and FLOW rain barrel workshops in Spring 2010. If you are interested in these future rain barrel workshops, please contact .