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wmmullouun- . 17.2013-13 I M ‘ l Region of Waterloo - , ‘ ‘ 1 nd 0 Q Begins Apr: 22 . . l . s Reg|on takes the next step with rainwater harvesting Region residents can sleep in and put away the and rainwater containers that hold much more water a“ "M J. ear muffs and lawn chairs. After 12 years of early would beideal. "' " ‘ morning lineups in mall parking lots, the popular "it was time to let the local retail community pm- " annual rain barrel distribution is over. And while all vide more rainwater harvesting options to residents.” good things must come to an end, this really signals a said Region of Waterloo's Water Efficiency Manager, »- , new beginning for rainwater harvesting in Waterloo Steve Combos. “As the Region looks at future pro- ! Region. grams. we will likely continue to promote rainwater . Originally intended to be a 5~year program, the harvesting and help people understand the options ? rain barrel distribution began in 2001 with 6,000 bar- available to them.“ rels sold at a highly subsidized rate. Due to the proâ€" in reality, there are an entire range of options : gram’s popularity, it was extended a couple of times available to people, from simple rain barrels up to ‘ and ended with nearly 50,000 rain barrels being sold large. in-ground cisterns that can also supply water to the community. for some of your indoor needs. A large number of , ‘ The ZOO-litre barrels are a great start for those local retailers (including many featured in this sec- R looking to conserve water and to not use treated tion) can help you find the best solution for your - drinking water outdoors on plants and grass. But home. ., most gardeners know that it's easy to use up 200 litres l {a > ‘ A ’ I,“ L , 9 Y . t, n In 2009. the Region conducted a research program options for rainwater harvesting has really increased 3 ‘ ~ . on USO-litre rainwater harvesting systems that were A resident can spend thousands of dollars to put a i . 5 used by local residents over a three-year period. The large tank underground with a control panel in the ‘ fi L Region looked at how often these tanks were used home to manage the water use, including lawn . 3 and for what types of watering, sprinklers or even indoor uses like toilet flushing, Or. ; The results showed that larger tanks with a pump a resident can spend as little as the price of a couple v“ opened up the list of potential uses for rainwater to rain barrels to get a larger tank for outside. These jobs like car washing, lawn watering and large gar~ options also include various sizes, colours and den watering. And in speaking with residents who shapes to suit each individual home or taste. l have had large cisterns (5,000~10.000 litres) installed. For more information. please visit , it was found that rainwater harvesting may be the www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water. ; ~ long~term answer to conserving our water resources You may also call the Region at 519â€"575-4021 to k and lowering your water bills. learn more about local suppliers who can help you Over the last few years, the number of larger out. STAY TUNE? (“j .-~ -- - flit ms For offers from our partrcrpatmg L f i, 34 . g; 1 1; 5 g 3 . . 'm~â€"~a‘ s onsors m the A ril 24th lineclru llllmgv a p m p p , m Gue- Solution Waterloo Chronicle