$32 Water Barrel Sale

Rain Barrel
As a recent and first time home owner, I was amazed by the list of items picked up during the initial home inspection. Given that our 100-year old home has an unfinished limestone basement, we were advised that it may never be dry, regardless of any improvements to the foundation, and adjacent drainage system. That being said, our home inspector highly recommended that we re-grade the lawn around our humble abode so that the slope would carry water away from the foundation. He also mentioned something that I had previously considered purchasing for environmental reasons, which was to collect rain water coming from downspouts with barrels.

What a coincidence, as I’ve just learned that Utilities Kingston is once again offering discounted rain barrels for the low price of $32. Barrels are limited to one per household, and customers must bring a copy of one of their utility bills to take part in the 2008 Rain Barrel Program. Although the price isn’t totally rock bottom, it does offer some savings in comparison to pricier products offered through retailers such as Canadian Tire, Home Depot and Rona. However, if you’re concerned about how the $32 Utilities Kingston rain barrel will fit in with your backyard decor, perhaps you should consider alternatives such as the attention grabbing Waterbutt and Lumi, the glowing rainwater storage container.

Rain barrels are a simple, old-fashioned solution that have been keeping gardens watered for centuries. By attaching a hose or low-pressure sprinklers to your rain barrel, you can reduce the amount of perfectly clean drinking water you use on your lawn, and also reduce storm runoff. You could even use it to wash your automobile. With another potentially dry summer on the horizon, it makes good environmental and financial sense to participate in such conservation programs. In fact, it may encourage the city to implement more green initiatives down the road. Considering last year’s rain barrel demand, and the fact that only 1,000 rain barrels available this year, you’d better act now. To calculate how much rain water you could potentially collect, check out the formula offered in the rain barrel guide.

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Harvey Kirkpatrick

Harvey Kirkpatrick is Kingstonist's Co-Founder. His features curiously explore urban planning, what if scenarios, the local food scene and notable Kingstonians. Loves playing tourist and listening to rap music. Learn more about Harvey...

5 thoughts on “$32 Water Barrel Sale

  • May 7, 2008 at 3:58 pm
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    I agree with the previous comment. Although I’m not so concerned with style and appearance, I know that such things are huge factors for people in my suburban Kingston neighbourhood. Efforts to help them become more environmentally friendly really do need to take price and style options into consideration. We can’t just expect people to pay premium prices or affix ugly or poorly matched contraptions to their homes because it’ll help the environment. Greening our city needs to be a effort within mainstream society–much of which is concerned with how houses and yards look, as well as budgets.

  • May 8, 2008 at 5:19 pm
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    we’ve ordered ours….ugly comes with it for no charge :)
    We’ll be putting it in the back so at least you can’t see the big honkin’ thing from the street.

  • May 9, 2008 at 8:30 pm
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    Thanks for letting me know about this water barrel offer — my rooftop water drains straight onto our back lawn, which is muddy and non-grassy as a result. I’ve just ordered one today… it should be delivered in the next 1-3 weeks!

  • May 13, 2008 at 11:31 am
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    i went to get this link and some info for a friend and they’re sold out already!

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