To find out more about the barrels and to participate in The Great American Rain Barrel Program, please visit: www.greatamericanrainbarrel.com/community/ and select Westport. Barrels are offered from $80-$89 and will be available for pickup on Saturday, July 22nd 10:00-12:0 noon, at the WLCT Workshop 573 Adamsville Road, Westport, MA 02790 Deadline for ordering is July 9th, 2023.
A Backyard Solution to Stormwater Management
Stormwater runoff is the rain or melting snow that does not soak into the ground, but instead flows over the land until it reaches storm drains or waterways. As we develop buildings, parking lots, and roads, we create more impervious surfaces that prevent water from soaking into the ground. The more impervious surfaces we have, the more stormwater runoff is created every time it rains. When stormwater flows across the land, it picks up various pollutants such as fertilizers, pesticides, road salts, and sediment and carries them into our waterways. Cars emit nitrogen oxides into the air, which eventually fall back onto the land as acid rain. All of these pollutants, including aging septic systems, trigger nitrogen pollution which fuels the growth of algae blooms to take over and pollute a water source. These pollutants impair our waterways and ultimately harm aquatic life and human health.
Rain barrels help protect the environment by reducing stormwater runoff. Rain barrels decrease runoff and allow water to seep back into the ground slowly preventing flooding and erosion. Using a rain barrel, will help you improve water quality by protecting our estuaries, rivers, ponds and ultimately the ocean from the pollution that stormwater creates as it enters these bodies of water.