BAY RIDGE — The heat and humidity was intense, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The thought of rain was the furthest thing from people’s minds, one might think. But quite the contrary — rain barrels were top of mind for hundreds of residents Sunday morning as they looked to put on their environmentally conscious hats and save a couple of bucks along the way.
Several hundred community members gathered in Leif Ericson Park to get a free rain barrel courtesy of Assemblymember Lester Chang (D-49) in partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Rain Barrel Giveaway Program.
The program is part of the NYC Green Infrastructure Plan, launched by Mayor Bloomberg over a decade ago. Its goal is to improve harbor water quality by capturing and retaining stormwater runoff before it enters the sewer system, which may contribute to sewer overflow.
Benefits of rain barrels
Rain barrels can individually capture thousands of gallons of water each year and can be used for a myriad of outdoor chores, such as gardening and washing one’s car, in addition to washing clothes, bathing and more.
They can also help reduce the demand on the city’s drinking water system during drought conditions. Each barrel can collect up to 55 gallons of water.
Using a rain barrel can save money since outdoor chores can account for up to 40% of an average household’s water use during the summer, according to the EPA.
Robert Olivari, the DEP’s community coordinator, told the Brooklyn Eagle that every year, from the beginning of May until the end of August on weekends, it offers all local elected officials from state to federal an opportunity to distribute rain barrels. Last weekend, 200 rain barrels were given away.
“We tell them to pick a location and a time and date to do a giveaway for their constituency,”…
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