Oh Little Playmate, Slide Down My Rain Barrel

In the middle of winter, I never hear about the drought. So I did a little checking to see where Mecklenburg County stands. Click here to see the January 29 Water Watch Update for Mecklenburg County from the www.charmeck.org website. We are still under Stage 2 drought conditions, which means we can only water our yard two days per week (click here for all the details)--not that we are watering our yard at this time of year anyway. Mecklenburg County is not as bad off as the western counties in NC (we are only categorized as "abnormally dry" by the NC Drought Management Advisory Council) but we still need to pay attention.

I remember reading about someone who showers with extra buckets to catch the water so they can water their yard with it. I don't think I'm ready to take that step. But I'm intrigued by rain barrels. They catch the rain and have a spigot for you to hook up your garden hose. Rain barrels have a screen to keep mosquitos and other insects out and are covered to prevent algae growth AND to prevent your child from getting into it (those barrels are heavy when full!).

I noted a little blurb by meteorologist Daniela Lopez in the Charlotte Observer on Saturday. She was mentioning the rain barrel sale by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) that was just held last week. The next sale will be held on Saturday, April 18 at CPCC (you must preorder your barrel--either 60-gallon or 80-gallon--by April 6). Email savetherain@yahoo.com or call (704) 336-2455 to order one. Visit the LUESA Rain Barrel Sale website for information by clicking here. The prices are significantly lower than several I saw on major home improvement stores' web sites.

If you don't know how to set up a rain barrel, Terri Bennett has a useful video on her website which you can view by clicking here. (She also offers rain barrels for sale in her website store, again cheaper than the box stores.)

Finally, to learn even MORE about water conservation and local water issues, WCNC has lots of information on its web page "WaterWise."

To Do: Put a reminder on your calendar to order your rain barrel by April 6. Keep an eye on drought updates before you plant lots of high-maintenance plants.