Barrels of Fun!

Roll Out the Barrels

Thank you to everyone who made Roll Out the Barrels 2013 such a success.  The barrels were gorgeous, the weather was beautiful, the food was fabulous, and the music was delightful.  But most importantly, over $2,000 was raised for the ACC Green School Program!  Here are a few photos from the event.  We hope to see you for barrels of fun next year!

Lily Anne Phibian

Barrels inside the Lyndon House lounge area.	Artist Teresa Kingery and family.	Artist Justin & Jul Sexton made The Way to the event.
Sean Arrington delighted us with his music.	Cindy Jamison & Teresa Yoder, talented sisters!	Artist Mike Ely stands by his barrel.
What a beautiful garden these barrels make!	Let our rain barrels add color to your home.	These barrels are as unique as you are.
Proud barrel owners!	Let the bidding begin!	Exterminate! Exterminate!
These ladies know the importance of environmental ed.	Dr., Who is this?	We have happy ACC Green School teachers!

 

Roll Out the Barrels

Artist: Christina Ward

“Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day.” We all remember repeating this rhyme as children. Lately, with all the recent weekend rains in Athens, we may have found ourselves saying it as adults, too. But what about when the rain does go away and we find “some other day” ends up being few and far between? How do we provide water for our thirsty plants and flower beds when the well-meaning government places us on an outdoor watering schedule?

Artist:  Carol Fox

I have a suggestion: Rain Barrels. The concept of a rain barrel is simple. It collects and stores rainwater from rooftops to use later. You can think of a rain barrel as a bank in which you place water to save for a non-rainy day. This water normally runs off your roof and into your gutter downspouts to become stormwater runoff. The problem with runoff is it can pick up nasty pollutants, such as oil, grease, bacteria, and sediment, as it travels to a storm drain or waterway. The creek, stream, or river it runs into is often part of the water source we pull our drinking water from. It really goes without saying, but we want to keep that clean.

OK. You have now decided you want to conserve water, reduce stormwater runoff, and have water available. You want a rain barrel. Where do you find one? There are several ways you can add a rain barrel to your home:

1) Make your own barrel. Videos and instructions can easily be found in an Internet search. For example, Paul James with HGTV offers a video and materials list for the DIY inclined. Depending on construction, the cost of building your own can be as low as $20.

2) Purchase one at your local home and garden center or order one online. Depending on the features you desire, a pre-made barrel can go for $50 - $250.

Artist:  Lorenza
"Chico" Rozier

    3) Come to Roll Out the Barrels. If you are looking for a functional rain barrel, but are also concerned with the aesthetics of your home, this is the place for you to pick up a barrel. Anyone can put out a boring, plastic drum to collect rain water. But you are an individual with a flair for the artistic. Roll Out the Barrels has 22 rain barrels created by local artists, each as unique as you are.  Athens Paint and Body applied a clear coating spray to each barrel to protect the art from the elements.

Artist:  Heidi Hensley



 

Want to know more about Roll Out the Barrels?  This free event is open to the public and takes place on Friday, May 17, 2013 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens, GA.  The 22 rain barrels referred to are available at this event through a silent auction.  Proceeds from the auction benefit the Athens Green School Program, an initiative to provide environmental education to ACC schools.  The event features live music, food, and barrels of fun.  Most of the barrels are currently on exhibit at the Lyndon House.  Others can be found around town:  Jittery Joe's in Watkinsville, Terrapin Brewery, Cofer's Home & Garden Showplace, ACC Water Business Office, & ACC Water Resources Center.  You can vote for your favorite barrel in our Facebook album by "liking" the photo.  The barrel with the most votes wins the artist a kayaking trip for two from Big Dogs on the River and a gift certificate to Locos Grill & Pub.   






 

    Artist: Thomas Easton













Artist:  Teresa
Kingery

Happy Drinking Water Week!

It seems like there is always a week or day set aside to honor something nationally.  You know what I mean.  There is National Asparagus Month, Nanny Week, National Smile Month, Random Huggers Day.  This is just a sampling of the national awareness days in May.   Well, not to be left out, drinking water also has a special time for recognition.  This year it is celebrated May 5 - 11.  You might be saying to yourself, "Really?  Drinking water needs a special week of awareness?"
 
Well, yes.  Here in Athens many of us take our drinking water for granted. It seems odd to celebrate something that is here all the time: day and night, 24 hours a day, holidays, rainy days, whatever. The tap keeps flowing.  That kind of reliability is hard to find anywhere else. Only tap water delivers:  It protects your public health, provides fire protection, supports the economy, and enhances our overall quality of life.

Get answers to the
most Frequently
Asked Questions about
drinking water from
the Environmental
Protection Agency!

Imagine....

You get out of the bed in the morning, turn on your faucet to brush your teeth, and no water comes out... 
You flush your toilet, and nothing happens... 
Your home is on fire and when the fire department arrives, no water comes out of the fire hydrant... 
You are a business owner but have no restroom facilities or water to clean your store... 
You have no consistent or clean source of water to cook with or drink... 
Think of all the ways every single day that you utilize water--from bathing, to cleaning, to doing laundry, to drinking and cooking--everything we do and all the conveniences in life we take advantage of revolve around a clean and abundant water supply. Without it, society simply wouldn't be able to exist in the way it does.

Another important point:  Water is by far the least expensive of all utilities we take advantage of - electricity, gas, cable, phone, etc., but the only one that we absolutely cannot live without.  

O.K., so you now agree water is AWESOME and you want to celebrate it.  How does one go about honoring water?  Well, here are a few opportunities for you to put a spotlight on water this week.

1.  Read the blog in Water Conservation Station to realize why water deserves recognition.  (Check.)
2. Come to our Drinking Water Week Celebration and the Deadwood Guitar All-Star Jam at Locos Grill & Pub on Timothy Road, Wednesday, May 8 from 6:30 - 9:00.  Local musicians, such as Rick Fowler, Kip Jones, and Fester Hagood, will play various guitars handcrafted by Jason Booth, of Deadwood Guitars.  During the music, the Water Conservation Office offers give aways - WaterSense high-efficiency showerheads, aerators, and spray nozzles for hoses - you can put to use in your home to protect water.  We will also have the Saltine Cracker Challenge for those brave enough to try.  Take the challenge and discover how much you want some cold, clean water.
3. Take a tour of the J.G. Beacham Drinking Water Treatment Plant on Thursday, May 9 at 4:00.  Discover how we pump, filter, and treat this vital resource before pumping it to 98% of Athens-Clarke County's residents, schools, businesses, and industries. 
4. Thank one of our Drinking Water Treatment Plant workers for providing you with a service your life depends on.  All of these dedicated people make sure the water is clean and pumped to your home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Even on Christmas!  Thank you!!

Now I ask everyone to go and get a tall, cool glass of delicious tap water and make a toast to this clean, vital liquid that was delivered to you in the comfort of your home.  Happy National Drinking Water Week. 


 

Water Resources Center

Stop 3. Water Resources Center

Our journey continues in search of buildings, businesses, and organizations that demonstrate water conservation methods in Athens-Clarke County.  The next stop is the Bob Snipes Water Resources Center (WRC) located off Barber Street (I'm sure you've seen it on your way to Terrapin :)  The WRC is a water and wastewater laboratory along with an educational facility.  It highlights 5 sustainable and water saving elements both within and around the building.  We will discuss each of these 5 elements over the next few blogs.

The first element is the actual building itself.  The WRC is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.  What exactly is LEED, you ask??  Well, LEED is an international green building certification program that ensures the entire lifecycle of a building is environmentally friendly.  

The WRC gained LEED status by:

• Installing WaterSense efficient plumbing fixtures to reduce water waste by 40%
• Recycling 75% of construction debris
• Designing the roof to minimize heat absorption and maximize energy efficiency
• Planting drought-tolerant plants to reduce water used by irrigation
• Including education in the design

WaterSense dual flush toilet meets EPA criteria

Construction of the Roof

Educational Displays in the Atrium






The benefits of the WRC as a LEED building include reduction in operating costs, reduction in construction waste sent to landfills, conservation of water and energy, providing healthier and safer environment for workers and visitors, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.  The public is welcome to visit the WRC Monday through Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm.

Water isn't Essential?

Think fast!  Name three things you can't live without.  Got it? 

Is a flat screen TV essential?

Now let's see how you compare to the rest of America.  In 2010, US News and World Report listed ten items Americans claimed to be essential in their lives.  Items included high-speed internet access, TV, coffee, and smart phones. Though the article did refer to food, shelter, and clothing as “obvious staples," water was nowhere mentioned. Not even once.  Water isn't essential in our lives? 

 

Tom Barlow, with Daily Finance, saw this list and he added his own selections in his blog.  He went so far as to at least include plumbing as a candidate for his Top 10.  Tom is a wise man. 

 

What about you?  Did water spring to your mind?  

Don't feel bad if it didn't make your big three.  Sure, we all know we need water to survive, thus making it essential.  But I think most people consider this as such an obvious answer, it doesn't need mentioning.   And water is always there for us, right?  We can stop at any Golden Pantry and find a cool drink or a toilet.  We don't write it down on our wish list next to the iPad.  I think most people take our water delivery and wastewater removal systems for granted. 

I could now move on to discuss how fortunate Americans are to have access to clean drinking water and good sanitation, how our list of essentials is actually a list of luxuries we enjoy, how 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water... But the point of this blog isn't to make you feel guilty. It is only to make you appreciate water and good sanitation. 

Here are three things you can try for the next month to become more aware of water in your life:

1) I know this is touchy-feely, but be mindful when you are using water. Tune out the flat screen TV, the high-speed internet, the ringing cell phone, and turn on your water. Listen to it as it runs from the faucet. Feel the water as it touches you. Enjoy washing the dishes, turning something dirty back to clean again. Appreciate and be grateful for the water you have available for use. 
       

2) As you select items for purchase at the store, take a moment to think about water's role in the manufacturing of products. What do I mean? Let's take the beloved cup of coffee. Sure, we need at least 8 oz of water to brew our go juice. But water is also required to grow, package, and ship the beans. What looks like 8oz of coffee really required an estimated 37 gallons of water for one cup. This virtual water is also in your blue jeans, your bread, and your brew. Be aware of your water footprint.

3) Go on strike with Matt Damon. He is not going to the bathroom until everyone has access to clean water and sanitation. Yes, this may be a little extreme for most of us to do, but it certainly does makes you aware of your toilet. If you can't commit as fully as Mr. Damon, how about not using the toilet seat for one month? Yes, I mean squat rather than sit. I guarantee, like Time Barlow, you will add plumbing and sanitation to your list of essentials.

A wonderful quote from Danielle Raine observes, “the cruel irony of housework: people only notice when you don’t do it.” Clean water delivered at the turn of a faucet or flush of a toilet is similar. You only notice water if it isn't there. Let's not wait until it isn't there to notice it. Become aware, appreciate, and take action to care for water now. It is essential.

Laurie Loftin
Conserve: WATER U waiting 4? 

The Ripple is in Effect

Lights!  Camera!  Ripple!

Breaking News:  Independent filmmakers gathered at Athens own Ciné to strut the blue carpet, mingle with other local celebrities, and dine on delicious food from the Broad Street Coffee Vegan Restaurant.  After an hour of glamming it up, the sellout crowd moved into the theater for the debut of 17 incredible 30-second films, which had been submitted to the inaugural Ripple Effect Film Project.  Each film had a unique personality, but all had a focus on water conservation.  Audience members were asked to vote for their favorite shorts before viewing the EcoFocus’ Film Festival’s feature film, Last Call at the Oasis. 

Following the big picture of/for water conservation, the winners of the Ripple Effect were announced.  And the winners are… drum roll please….

Student Category

Best Conservation Message:  Hydrowoman Doesn't Exist, by Athens Academy, Global Challenges

Best Overall:  Get a Grip, Stop the Drip, by Tyler Ortel

Audience Choice Award:  Crazy Conservation, by Christian & Christie Marie Shupe (see the video below)

Adult Category

Best Production Quality:  Elio’s Big Splash, by Bryan Redding, Dan Jordan, and Ricardo, Tomas, & Elio Jiminez

Best Conservation Message:  Water is Life, by Lacey Avery

Best Overall:  Every Drop Counts, by Brody Bearden

Audience Choice Award:  Elio’s Big Splash, by Bryan Redding, Dan Jordan, and Ricardo, Tomas, & Elio Jiminez (see the video below!)

Thank you to all of the talented people involved in this project.  Plans for making the other videos available are in the works.  Check back on www.thinkatthesink.com or "like" the Water Conservation Office-Athens Clarke County on Facebook for updates. 

Where does your water go?

In a recent Facebook post, we asked all of you what you wanted to learn from the blogs.  We had a popular response from Stephanie Sharp who wanted to know:

"Interesting figures like average gallons used per shower, bath, dishwasher, washing machine...help me extrapolate!"

Extrapolate, we shall!  First, let's look at where the "average" family consumes most of their water:

 

Toilet- 26.7%

Clothes Washer- 21.7%

Shower: 16.8%

Faucet: 15.7%

Leaks: 13.7%

Other: 5.3%

Since a majority of water goes to flushing the toilet, washing clothes, and taking showers, let's explore those.

Water Sense 

Toilets

-Toilets installed before 1993 use between 3.5 and 7 gallons of water every flush, toilets installed between 1993 and 2012 use about 1.6 gallons per flush.  A new WaterSense labeled toilet uses no more than 1.28 gallons per flush.,

-Leaky Toilet?  Leaks can account for 13.7% of your water usage. You can waste 300-500 GALLONS of water every day from a leaky toilet.

How can you fix this?

1. Preventative Measures: Buy a WaterSense Toilet- They can save 75-80% more water than older toilets! Find more information at EPA's website.

2. Routine Checks: Check for leaks frequently!  Sometimes, you may have a leak even if you can't hear the toilet running.  The Water Conservation Office loves giving out blue Toilet Tabs, which can be placed in the tank of the toilet.  If you see blue in the bowl, you have a leak.  You can also do this by placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank.  Lowe's has a great video on how to do it!

Energy Star Appliance

Washing Machine

Did you know?  Washing machines can use 40-55 gallons of water per load!  

How can you reduce this?

1. Preventative Measures: When shopping for a new washing machine, look for those products that are energy efficient.   High efficiency Energy Star washing machines use less than 27 gallons per load.  They save water and electricity!

2. Routine Checks: Run your washer only when you have a full load.  If you must wash a smaller load, be sure to match the settings (small, medium, large, x-large) correctly in order to save water.




Shower
The shower can use about 7 gallons per minute. 

How can you reduce this?

1. Preventative Measures: The Water Conservation Office loves giving away water-efficient shower heads at special events, but you can also find them in hardware stores. They can save up to about 5 gallons per minute!

2. Routine Checks:  We recommend taking a five-minute shower, or less!  Look at these numbers:



With a 5 gallon per minute showerhead:
5 min shower= 35 gallons
10 min shower= 70 gallons
30 min shower=210 gallons
1 hr= 420 gallons

Multiply this by the number of people in your household, and you will realize how important it is to keep showers short and install a more efficient showerhead!


Well, that just about sums it up!  Those are the top three water consumptive activities inside your house, but here are a few more quick facts:

• Baths: 28-36 gallons for full tub
• Running Faucet: 3 gallons per minute (You can save here too by installing a WaterSense aerator available at the Water Conservation Office or at thea hardware store. Make sure to turn the faucet off when brushing your teeth!)
• Dishwasher: 15 gallons per load (you can save here by using an Energy Star Dishwasher)
• Lawn Watering: 3-10 gallons per minute (fyi, more plants die from overwatering during drought than from not watering enough.)

If you suspect you have a leaky faucet/bath, you can figure out how many gallons you are wasting by counting the number of drips per minute:

• 60 drops/minute=192 gallons per month
• 90 drops/minute=310 gallons per month
• 120 drops/minute= 429 gallons per month

We hope that this post has been relevant and helpful to you!  Leave questions or comments below!

Here are links to useful websites:

Guide to Water Use
EPA's Indoor Water Use
Water Sense Product Search

Going Batty About Wildlife

Hey there, Water Conservation Station readers. I am one of the new interns in the Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office and I am excited to share my thoughts on water conservation with you guys. For my first blog, I would like to share a topic that is close to my heart: wildlife. More specifically, how drought can affect wildlife. 

The western United States has been in a drought similar to the one we are facing in the south. However, they are facing a unique challenge: drowning bats. I know that sounds backwards.  If they are in a drought, how can bats be drowning?

Here is some bat biology to help you understand how bats drown during droughts. Bats drink in flight by swooping down to the waters surface. In large lakes and ponds, this is done very easily for bats; however, these natural sources of water are starting to disappear.

So where do the bats turn? Livestock drinking stations.

Livestock drinking station 
(photo courtesy of: Stanley Howe http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cattle_drinking_trough_-_geograph.org.uk_-_602555.jpg)

Livestock drinking stations are much smaller than lakes or ponds, and are surrounded by structures which make it difficult for bats to drink safely. As the water levels in these drinking stations go down, the bats can get stuck in the station. When they can’t get out and are tired of swimming, they often drown.  To alleviate this problem, ranchers have installed "bat escape ramps" to help trapped bats escape.  

Example of a bat escape ramp 
(photo courtesy of: Kary Schlick http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/lwm/aem/news/climate_change_and_herpetofauna.html)

Just like the ranchers out west are helping the bats, we can help our Georgia wildlife. Two groups of wildlife that are closely tied to water are birds and frogs.

Birds need water to help cool off during the hot Georgia summers. Birdbaths are great for local birds. They provide a place for them to clean and cool off during the summer. Placing the birdbath near brush cover gives the birds a place to preen once they are done cooling off. But you have to make sure that no predator can sneak up on the bathing beauties. The lower the bath, the more open area is needed around the bath to ensure that the birds are safe from any stealthy predators. Also, baths need to be cleaned frequently to help prevent the spread of diseases among the birds. Clean with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water and make sure to wear rubber gloves.

Frogs need water to stay healthy. Like Nicole said a few weeks ago, frogs breathe through their skin, so keeping it moist is essential. Backyard ponds can be a great habitat for a wide variety of animals, including frogs, turtles, birds and lizards. Ponds can help these animals survive when water around the state is difficult to find. And who doesn’t want to look out into their backyard and see a turtle sunning itself by your pond?

To keep your baths and ponds full, you can collect rain water with rain barrels. Or, while you wait for your shower water to warm up, you can collect the cold water in a bucket and use it to refill the baths. 

I’m looking forward to my time here at the Water Conservation Office! Talk to you again soon!

~Lauren
Water Conservation Intern

Transportation and Public Works

Stop 2. Transportation and Public Works

Our journey continues in search of buildings, businesses, and organizations that demonstrate water conservation methods in Athens-Clarke County.  The next stop is the Transportation and Public Works building at the corner of West Dougherty Street and Lumpkin Street.  The water conservation method highlighted here is a rain chain.  The  side of the building (facing Lumpkin Street) has a rain chain attached to a rain barrel. 

 

What are rain chains? Rain chains are alternatives to downspouts.  They visibly guide rain water from the roof down chains to the ground, a drain, or storage container like a rain barrel (remember the ones at Sandy Creek Nature Center, our Stop #1?).  The collected rain water can be used to water flowers and gardens.  The Transportation and Public Works rain chain supplies water for a rain garden. Some organizations suggest rain chains should replace downspouts, claiming they fulfill the same purposes of downspouts, but also break the flow of water as it hits the ground, mitigating its impact. 

History of rain chains.  The Japanese have used rain chains for hundreds of years.  Today the chains are used to direct the rain water from their roof to storage units for later use in household chores.  The Japanese are also known for incorporating large decorative rain chains into their temple design.  

The style. The styles of rain chains vary from traditional chains to cups to decorative flowers.  Link, cup, and flower chain styles are far more attractive than traditional downspouts and often add to the decor of a building rather than detract from it.  Many people make their own rain chain from recycled materials such as clay pottery, pebbles, and even pine cones.  Look at this website for inspiration and installation tips. 

For more information on rain chains visit here.

Check in next month as we visit another place in ACC!

Sandy Creek Nature Center

Are you ready for a road trip???  

If so, join the Water Conservation Office as we travel around Athens-Clarke County in search of buildings, businesses, and organizations that demonstrate cool water conservation methods!  Every month we will visit a new place and learn about how they conserve water.  We will share with you what we have learned and give tips on how to conserve water in your own home or business!  So buckle up and let the journey begin...

Stop 1. Sandy Creek Nature Center

Sandy Creek Nature Center (SCNC) is known for being home to over 4 miles of trails that go through the woodlands and wetlands of Georgia’s Piedmont.  Live reptiles, amphibians, marine and freshwater fishes also call SCNC home.  SCNC has recently expanded and includes various interactive exhibits on everything from composting to water conservation (our favorite part).  Now you might know all of that, but there is one thing that you might not know about Sandy Creek Nature Center...

Sandy Creek Nature Center is the proud home of two 500 gallon rain barrels!  A rain barrel collects and stores rainwater from a downspout.  This collected rainwater can be used on lawns, gardens, and even for washing cars and windows.

The first rain barrel is located in the front of the nature center as you walk in. 

The sign in front of the rain barrel informs readers that this is a rain water capture system that collects rain water runoff from the exhibit hall roof.  SCNC conserves water by using the collected rainwater to water plants instead of using tap water.  This system also reduces erosion and flooding by slowing down runoff from the roof and slowly releasing it to the ground.  

The second rain barrel is located behind the nature center near the trail heads.  This rain barrel collects rainwater from the roof and condensate from the air conditioning system. SCNC uses this water for gardens around their property.

Some of the benefits of using rain barrels include:

~Providing an alternative to using tap water for outdoor watering,

~Reducing stormwater runoff that can cause floods,
~Slowing stormwater runoff so that it can replenish groundwater and soil moisture,

~Saving money on your water bill, and                             

~Rainwater is often softer than tap water, which is better for plants.

Most rain barrels around homes are 55 gallons.  You can find rain barrels at local garden centers or you can build your own.  Here is some more information on rain barrels from the Environmental Protection Agency and you can see how local artists have turned rain barrels into works of art at www.rolloutthebarrels.org.

Finally, visit Sandy Creek Nature Center and check out their awesome rain barrels and gardens! 

Check in next month as we continue our journey around Athens-Clarke County!