City Of Tulsa's Rain Barrel Program Aims To Keep Streams Clean

Monday, April 10th 2017, 5:58 pm

By: News On 6

To keep streams pollutant free, Tulsa is kicking off its rain barrel program. The City is partnering with two businesses who will offer discounts to people who buy rain collection barrels.

It's something people probably don't think about, but every time it rains the runoff flows into storm drains and streams, picking up grime and oil along the way.

The City is taking its plan to "save our streams" a step further by urging the public to invest in 50-gallon rain collection barrels.

Brian Lewis with the City of Tulsa said, "So oils or fluids that fell from your car, or even things that have spilled out of dumpsters, will get picked up by the rain water and taken directly to the streams where they affect wildlife."

The idea of rain collecting barrels is simple - you attach them to your gutters and the water flows directly into the barrel.

While it's helping catch rain and keep the environment safe, Lewis said the barrels have personal benefits too.

"Use it to water your garden or clean your car, that eliminates some storm water runoff from picking up pollutants," he said.

City of Tulsa statistics show with just 10 to 20 minutes of outdoor watering you could use 50 to 100 gallons of water.

Lewis said, "If you're using water that you've collected from the rain, for free, to water your garden, you're not spending that on your water bill."

The City is partnering with two companies who will be giving discounts to people who order a barrel. The barrels will be available for pickup at the City's household pollutant collection event at the end of April.

"If you feel anyway that you want to promote our environment or want to make things better outside, come to our event," Lewis said.

There is a timeline to keep in mind if you want to take advantage of the discount and have the barrel delivered in time for the household pollution collection event. You can find more information here.