April Showers - Coming To Your Yard!

Beth Landers, Lake SWCD Coastal NPS Pollution Education Specialist

In Partnership with the Lake County Stormwater Management Department

Spring is finally here; time to plan for runoff!  Any hard surface around your house can create runoff - from your roof to your driveway to your patio.  If you collect this water and use it around your yard, you will help reduce the amount of water that flushes through a stream during a storm, and filter out some of the pollutants as well.  You might even reduce your water utility bill in the summer.

Rain barrels are installed on downspouts around your house.  They collect the rain that would otherwise empty into a storm drain (in older neighborhoods) or into a muddy spot in your yard (in newer houses).  Up to 55 gallons of rainwater can be stored in a repurposed plastic food barrel from every April shower or July cloudburst.  This water is free, and also free of utility water additives, such as chlorine and fluoride.

Lake SWCD collaborates with Lake Metroparks to provide rain barrel construction workshops on April 20^th and May 18^th.  You can find information on upcoming workshops by clicking the “Rain Barrels” link under “Residents” at www.lakecountyohio.gov/soil.