Now is the time to roll out the rain barrels - #lakewoodnews

It's been a long and surprisingly difficult fight, but on Aug. 10 my new law legalizing rain barrels in Colorado officially took effect.

The new law makes Colorado the last of the 50 states to allow citizens to collect and store the rainwater that falls on their roofs. It's estimated that using two rain barrels could save your home as much as 1,200 gallons of water per year. Now, residents across the state are able to use rain barrels to collect the water from their roofs to water their plants and gardens.

Here are a few tips to help get you started:

Rain barrels of different shapes, sizes and materials may be purchased at many hardware and home improvement stores across the state, as well as online.

You may use up to two barrels for a combined total of 110 gallons.

The water collected may only be used on your property, and may not be used for drinking water.

Your rain barrel must have a secure lid and screen to keep mosquitos from becoming a problem. Most rain barrels available for purchase include the necessary equipment.

To install your rain barrel, you really only need a gutter. But, depending on the gutters on your home, you may want to get a flexible gutter extension or additional materials that best suit your downspouts.

As winter approaches, make sure to empty the rain barrel to avoid any damage that freezing water might cause.

I can tell you from my experience that purchasing, assembling and installing my rain barrel under a downspout was easy and didn't take much time at all. From now on, I'll be one of many Coloradans using rain barrels and taking part in this simple way to save a little bit of water. This is especially important to me, as we welcome 10,000 new Colorado residents each month and need to work to conserve our most precious resource.

Conservation Colorado worked with my co-prime sponsors, Rep. Daneya Esgar and Sen. Mike Merrifield, and me on this bill, and has a lot more information at http://conservationco.org/2016/07/all-about-rain-barrels/

Thanks to so many of you for your outpouring of support for the passage of this bill. Now that it is official, I hope you'll take advantage of the new law and get a rain barrel for your home. Together we really can make a difference.

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