FRAMINGHAM, MA -- Interested in conserving water? Keep your garden green all summer long with a New England Rain barrel. Special offer: Framingham residents can get the barrel for only $ 62, instead of the regular price of $ 85.

Save money and reduce use of town facilities

To order, call: (877) 977-3135 toll free, or order online at www.nerainbarrel.com.

This is a limited offer. All orders must be received by New England Rain Barrel prior to or on August 17, 2006.

Pickup will be at the DPW Operations Center, 100 Western Avenue
in Framingham on Saturday August 19, 2006 from 9 a.m. until noon.

All area residents are invited to participate in this conservation program!

The program is subsidized by DEP but Framingham doesn’t have a grant to provide the rain barrels. This is a one time event in Framingham for 2006. The DPW and Conservation Commission do no work other than promoting the event and then supplying some support staff on the delivery date, August 19, 2006.

Why a rain barrel? Residential irrigation can account for 400f domestic water consumption in a given municipality. Rain barrels not only store water, they help decrease demand during the sweltering summer months.

Only ¼ inch of rainfall runoff from the average roof will completely fill the typical barrel.

Collection of water from rooftop runoff can provide an ample supply of this free “soft water” containing no chlorine, lime or calcium. Because it tends to have fewer sediments and dissolved salts than municipal water, rain water is ideal for planter beds for a multitude of applications, including biodynamic and organic vegetable gardens, planter beds for botanicals, indoor tropicals like ferns and orchids, automobile washing and cleaning household windows. Saving water in this manner will reduce your demand of treated tap water and save money by lowering your monthly bill.

Rain water diversion also helps decrease the burden on water treatment facilities and municipal drainage systems during storms. The storage of rain water is also recommended for general emergency preparedness, or for areas prone to disasters or drought.

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