Rain Barrel Program Deadline Approaching

The Ipswich River has been running too low to maintain an healthy watershed, which means residents of Hamilton and Wenham are under mandatory water bans.

Those bans restrict outdoor watering, car washing and other non-essential water use, but a rain barrel could offer some relief.

The Town of Hamilton is working with the Great American Rain Barrel Company in Hyde Park, Mass., to offer recycled rain barrels to residents of Hamilton and Wenham.

Residents can purchase a forest green, earth brown or Nantucket gray rain barrel for $75. To place an order, visit the Great American Rain Barrel Company website, look for “community programs” and click on “Hamilton” or email info@tgarb.com or call (800) 251-2352.

According to a press release:

“Homeowners can easily connect the barrels to their downspouts and significantly offset their watering needs. In this region there is typically 16” of rain from May 1–Sept. 30. For every inch of rainfall a 1,000 square foot surface can collect 620 gallons of water, that means that over the course of the extended summer months an average roof of 2,400 square feet could see more than 20,000 gallons of fresh rainwater passing over its surface from May through September. That is a pretty significant source of water that homeowners could be tapping into for free.”

The full press release is available here.

Deadline for ordering is June 15 at 5 p.m. Barrels will be available for pick up on Saturday, June 20 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Hamilton DPW (577 Bay Road, Hamilton).