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Welcome to the Bowie Lions Rain Barrel Program


Thank you for visiting the Bowie Lions Rain Barrel Program! We hope that you find the information presented here useful and informative.


What is a Rain Barrel and what is the Bowie Lions Rain Barrel Program?

So what is a rain barrel exactly?

A rain barrel is a system that collects and stores rain water from your roof that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to
storm drains, streams and the Chesapeake Bay. A basic rain barrel system is a composed of a drum to hold the water, a vinyl hose, couplings,
and a screen grate to keep debris and insects out. The entire system can sit conveniently under any residential gutter down spout.

What are the advantages of a rain barrel for my community and home?

An assessment of Bowie's two watersheds, the Upper Patuxent and the Western Branch found that erosion and sedimentation were
two of the biggest threats to Bowie's water quality and habitat. One way to reduce this erosion and sedimentation is to reduce
the amount of stormwater runoff and the speed of the stormwater runoff that flows into local streams during rainstorms.
Using rain barrels accomplish this by collecting rainwater and slowing any excess to local waterways.

Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer months. A rain barrel simply collects
water and stores it for when you need it most -- during periods of drought -- to water plants, wash your car, or to top a swimming pool.
It provides an ample supply of free 'soft water' to homeowners, containing no chlorine, lime or calcium making it ideal for gardens,
flower pots, and car and window washing. A rain barrel system could save the average homeowner over 1,300 gallons of water during the peak
summer months. Saving water not only helps protect the environment, it saves you money and energy by decreasing the demand for
treated tap water. Diverting water from storm drains also decreases the impact of runoff to streams and the Chesapeake Bay.
So a rain barrel is an easy way for you to "Save the Bay" and have a ready supply of clean, fresh water for outdoor use, and best of all it's FREE.

What is the Bowie Lions Rain Barrel Program and how do I get a rain barrel for my home?

The Bowie Lions have partnered with the City of Bowie staring in 2009 to provide low cost rain barrels to the community to as a way to protect our
watersheds from the threat of erosion and sedimentation. The city, Lions and other organizations have sponsored a number of events
to raise awareness about rain barrels and their use be on the lookout for one of these workshops. Rain barrels can be purchased from
the Bowie Lions at Bowie Farmer's Market from May to October or from the Lions any city event where the Lions are participating.
You can also call the Bowie Lions at 301-262-2665.

Using and installing a rain barrel

Installing and using a rain barrel is a relatively simple process. Once you have you barrel setup takes less than a couple of hours.
Noah's Rain Barrel web site has a number of installation suggestions & tips for setting up a rain barrel. Here also are some informative videos
that can help show you how to place and set up your rain barrel.