Here is some info from their site:
How much is the rebate?
$100—For rain barrels that hold 75 gallons or more
$50–For rain barrels with a capacity of 50-74 gallons **
* Limit of two (2) rain barrel rebates per property
**Rain barrels less than 50 gallons are not eligible for rebate
Why is the District government offering rebates on rain barrels?
Rooftops comprise a large percentage of the impervious area in Washington, D.C. Rain water that flows off impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways, and roads flows over these surfaces to our streams, picking up pollutants on its way. In addition to water conservation, rain barrels help the environment in two ways: by allowing water to seep back into the ground slowly, naturally filtering the water and recharging the water table; and by reducing the amount of water going into our streams and rivers during heavy storms, easing stream erosion.
I just bought and installed an 80 gallon rain barrel. I’m very happy with it. That’s 80 gallons less water in the sewers during the most recent flood. My barrel cost about $200.00 and qualifies for the $100.00 rebate.
I bought my barrel from a company called Aquabarrel. It’s located out beyond Gaithersburg, about one hour from Bloomingdale. The guy runs this company out of a shed in his back yard. He is very knowledgeable about rain barrels. He has several different styles, just make sure to get one of the DC approved models, and make sure that you have a vehicle large enough to hold the barrel. He can also sell you parts that you may need to connect the rain barrel to your existing system. Here is a link to his web site.
Every gallon of rainwater removed from the sewer system will reduce the amount of flooding we are experiencing and you can use the water later to water your garden. I’m actually considering adding a second barrel to my system.
5 comments:
Thanks for sharing, and thanks so much for keeping 80 gallons of water out of my house on Sunday!!
Question, if you get another barrel, will it get the spill over from the first, or be connected to a different downspout?
I got the same size barrel from Barry at Aquabarrel.com and second the comments on his knowledge and helpfulness. It's a really easy trip up there on a Saturday/Sunday with no traffic.
Not a homeowner here, but just a question about the rainbarrels: at some point isn't there a lot of standing water--won't that increase breeding of mosquitoes and the dreaded West Nile virus, or is there some part of the rain barrel that prevents that from happening?
Standing water is always a breeding ground for mosquitoes, absolutely. There are little discs or pellets that you can drop into the rain barrel to control/eliminate mosquitoes. Hopefully everyone with barrels will use them.
You can go to the Pepsi plant just off New York Ave (50) at the Balt./Wash Pkwy (2611 Pepsi Place Hyattsville, MD 20781) on Saturday morning and buy 55 gallon food grade (important) barrels for $8 or $10 each and using simple tools and plumbing from Home Depot can fashion a great rain collection system. I bought 3 and now collect ~165 gallons of water anytime it rains. You can also buy ready made kits (http://rainreserve.com/rain_diverter_kits) to help.
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