The Water Spot

Rain Barrel Sale Begins Now!

springsaver rainbarrel_9-9-14
50-gallon Spring Saver

The City’s Water Conservation Program is having a rain barrel sale!  The barrels are sold by pre-order, so you place the order for the barrels online at www.cityrainbarrelprogram.org, then come pick them up on a specific day.  There is no limit on the quantity of barrels you may order, and sale isn’t limited to Round Rock residents, anyone can purchase one; however the last day to order is May 7, 2016.

A variety of sizes of rain barrels are being offered, as well as diverters to make it easier to get the water from your gutter downspout into the barrel:

  • 50-gallon Spring Saver, 6 color choices, $64.99; black-colored barrel is $59.99
  • 54-gallon Rain Saver, 3 color choices, $84.99
  • Classic 100-gallon, 28 colors, $184.99
  • Classic 150-gallon tank, 28 colors, $239.95
  • Classic 250-gallon tank, 28 colors, $344.95
  • Water diverter kits for $15.99 – $21.99
rainsaver rainbarrel_9-9-14
54-gallon Rain Saver

The barrel distribution will happen on Saturday, May 14th at the Dell Diamond’s northeast parking lot.  Once you make your purchase, you’ll be emailed all the relevant pick-up information.  Also, please make plans to have a vehicle the barrels will fit into!

To pre-order and full details:  www.cityrainbarrelprogram.org

Barrels purchased at this event ARE eligible for the City’s rainwater rebate. There will be applications for the rebate provided at the distribution.  Please note: you must be a direct City of Round Rock water customer in order to receive the rebate.  This means you pay your water bill to the City, not a MUD.

A limited selection of barrels will be available for sale on May 14th, so plan ahead and purchase yours today to ensure you get the colors you want; otherwise you can take your chances and show up to purchase whatever is on hand the day of.

Why collect rainwater??  I’ve talked about it in previous posts, and condense the “whys” here:

  1. Rainwater is much better for plants than the municipal water supply (it’s generally higher in nitrogen and it’s softer water), which probably is THE main reason people collect it.
    classic rainbarrel_9-9-14
    100-gallon Classic
  2. However, an often overlooked, and just as good reason is for erosion control. You don’t have to actually “use” the water collected, but if you could at least slow it down on your property; that would aid in reducing the amount of erosion your property is subjected to.  You can collect the water and then just release it, slowly, over your yard a few days after the rain event. Then the barrel(s) is empty and ready to collect the next rain event and you don’t have any worries about mosquitos!
  3. It’s free, and
  4. Tax-exempt! The water falling from the sky is free, and the purchase of collection containers has been tax-exempt in Texas since 2001.  To assist you with collecting this precious resource, the City of Round Rock has a rebate for installing water collection tanks or barrels. (This rebate is available for direct City of Round Rock water customers only.)
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