STEFANIE GILLIAM Rain Barrels

Goals and Objectives Educate students about rain barrels Paint rain barrels to be used around campus Install rain barrels around campus Why Collect Rain Water?  Lawn and garden watering make up nearly 40% of total household water use during the summer  Rain barrels will save most homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months.  A rain barrel collects and stores water that can be used to water plants, wash your car, or to top off a swimming pool  Provides "soft water" to homeowners, containing no chlorine, lime or calcium

How Does a Rain Barrel Work?

What Are Other Schools Doing? Very few actually using rain barrels Community education  Classes to make your own rain barrel

SEC EAST University of Florida  Reclaimed water  Community classes University of Georgia  Many programs University of Kentucky  5 barrels on campus  Plans to install more University of Missouri  Nothing mentioned University of South Carolina  Nothing mentioned University of Tennessee  Nothing mentioned

University of Georgia Leader in the state for water resource management Maintained a nearly 30% reduction in water use since cisterns on campus collect and store over 530,000 gallons of rain and condensate, including a gray water reuse system installed in the residence halls Over fifty rain gardens have been installed to improve storm water and watershed health

SEC WEST Auburn University  Community classes Louisiana State University Mississippi State University  Community classes on rain barrels and rain gardens Texas A&M University  Community classes  On campus water treatment University of Alabama  Nothing mentioned University of Arkansas  Nothing mentioned University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)  1 barrel on campus  Collects condensation from A/C unit

LSU’s Rain Barrels

Future Plans Install the barrels in the Sustainable Garden

Timeline Get rain barrels – Completed Get supplies to paint barrels – Completed Paint the base coat on the barrels – Completed Spring Greening Day / Get the LSU community to paint the barrels – Completed Install the barrels – Still needs to be done

Budget Acrylic paint – $0.85 each * 15 bottles = $12.75 Colored spray paint – $5.50 * 6 cans = $33.00 Clear spray paint – $4.00 * 5 cans = $20.00 Drop cloth – $3.00 Paint brushes – $0.69 * 20 brushes = $13.80 Rain barrels – free Total – $82.55