SWAMPSCOTT — In a statement published on the town’s website yesterday, the town emphasized the importance of considering the use of a rain barrel to combat droughts, flooding and wildfires.
The recent drought, the statement reads, has shattered historical norms. During this past September, Boston had a 22-day streak with nothing more than trace amounts of rain, the tenth-longest dry streak in the city’s history and the longest since 1999. The statement also highlighted that such droughts pose long term environmental threats as climate change continues to cause temperatures to rise.
In order to combat this growing problem, the town set its sights on educating residents on using rain barrels outside their homes to help collect an extra supply of water. “By capturing and using rainwater, residents can help reduce pollution, minimize erosion, and support the health of local watersheds,” the statement said.
The rain barrels help collect runoff water from roofs and gutters, thereby preventing water from running onto surfaces that often flow into local streams, rivers and ponds, which contributes to pollution, the statement says.
Rain barrels can also decrease energy consumption and greenhouse emissions at water treatment plants, which the statement claims is “crucial to fighting climate change.”
“This is the world we now live in,” Governor Maura Healy said in the statement. “Every day we see weather that we haven’t seen before. Things are happening that people haven’t dealt with before.”
Barrels are currently being offered to residents currently for $89 and will be available for pick up on Saturday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to noon at Swampscott DPW Yard on 200 Paradise Rd. Deadline for purchase is April 13.
