(Chelsea Update would like to thank Doug Reith for the information in this story.)
The Washtenaw County Conservation District’s (WCCD) Rain Barrels and Supplies sales are returning in 2022.
The WCCD offers rain barrels, composters, and related supplies available to the public to purchase for water catchment systems and composting systems. These supplies promote systems that encourage conserving rainwater, reduce home water use, and prevent runoff pollution, and composting practices to reduce food waste and build healthy soils.
The Midwest is seeing increases in total annual precipitation[1], residents can protect waterways from run-off while reducing their home water use with Rain Barrels from the Washtenaw County Conservation District.
The WCCD’s Rain Barrels and Supplies sales opened last month and will continue into August.
There will be four distribution dates throughout the year to pick-up ordered supplies:
Friday, March 25 – at the WCCD office
Friday, May 20 – at the WCCD office
Wednesday, June 22 – at the Chelsea Farmers’ Market at Old US-12 and Main Street in the Chelsea State Bank parking lot
August – Final date/location TBD
The WCCD office is located at 705 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. Customers will receive reminders and detailed instructions of when and where to pick-up their preordered supplies, and must have preordered a week prior to the date.
All orders come with information and instructions, which is also available on the website: www.washtenawcd.org/rainbarrel
Preorders can be placed directly on the WCCD’s online store at: https://store.washtenawcd.org/rainbarrels, or ordered by paper order forms, which are available for download on the WCCD website: www.washtenawcd.org/rainbarrel or by requesting a mailed copy by email/phone: [email protected] or (734) 302-8713. Payment is accepted by credit card online, or by check via mail / drop off. Checks can be made out to Washtenaw CD.
The Rain Barrels offered come in various colors and are all “upcycled” clean 55-gallon food grade durable plastic, fitted with a screened removable lid, and fittings and valves to drain the barrel, connect to other barrels, and for overflow.
New in 2022 is an “Wide Overflow” upgrade is offered to overflow barrels excess water more efficiently during heavy rainfalls. Additional rain barrels accessories include a wooden pedestal riser, linking hoses, downspout diverters, and downspout flex elbows. For larger water catchment systems, the WCCD offers a 275-Gallon IBC Tote, an “upcycled” 4’x4’x4’ tank that is fitted with a valve.
The WCCD has been distributing trees, plants & tools for conservation since the 1950’s. More than 7.1 million trees and shrubs have been planted as a result of WCCD’s distributions, contributing to conservation practices such as reforestation, soil erosion reduction & water quality improvement, habitat restoration, and naturalization projects.
The WCCD is a unit of local government, managed by an elected 5-member board of directors. The mission of the WCCD is to assist residents with the conservation, management, and wise use of natural resources in Washtenaw County. The WCCD serves Washtenaw residents through resource distributions, education, and technical assistance.
[1] Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments (GLISA) – https://glisa.umich.edu/resources-tools/climate-impacts/precipitation/
