Instead of having rainwater flow off roofs and into stormwater drains, Carroll County government is encouraging homeowners to conserve that water through its rain barrel program.
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 Thursday to accept a $4,900 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust to purchase 50 rain barrels and offer them free of charge to Carroll homeowners. Anyone interested in receiving one can sign up at the county's booth at the Mount Airy Fall Festival in October.
But the program does come with a catch, said Gale Engles, chief of the county bureau of resource management.
To qualify for a free rain barrel from the county, a homeowner must first purchase a rain barrel of similar size. The county will have brochures available for residents to learn about where they can purchase the barrels locally at the fall festival.
The cost of a rain barrel from Home Depot is around $85.
After a homeowners receive their free barrel from the county, staff members will meet with them and explain how they should be installed, Engles said. The county is making an in-kind contribution of staff time for the program totaling $708.
Rain barrels are attached to roofs' downspouts to collect rainwater. The collected rainwater can be used to water plants, wash cars or fill swimming pools in times of drought.
Commissioner Robin Bartlett Frazier, R-District 1, told staff members to consult with the county's emergency preparedness specialists about teaching people how rainwater can be used in times of emergency. One example, Frazier said, is to use collected rainwater to flush toilets when power goes out.
A rain barrel can save most homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Saving water not only helps protect the environment, it saves money and energy, according to the EPA website, and diverting water from storm drains also decreases the impact of runoff to streams.
Commissioner Richard Rothschild, R-District 4, did not attend Thursday's meeting and could not vote on the grant proposal.
Reach staff writer Christian Alexandersen at 410-857-7873 or christian. alexandersen@carrollcountytimes.com.
