Water Conservation

[Plutonic Panda]

This is nice

Metro Cities Offer Low Cost Rain Barrels To Help Environment

Posted: Jun 23, 2014 2:45 PM CDT
Updated: Jun 23, 2014 2:46 PM CDT
By News9.com - email

OKLAHOMA CITY - By Hannah Morris
The City of Oklahoma City, Yukon, Midwest City and the Central Oklahoma Storm Water Alliance (COSWA) are partnering to encourage residents to conserve water and reduce pollution through the use of rain barrels.

"Rain barrels are a way for homeowners to save money by saving water," said Oklahoma City's Environmental Protection Manager Raymond Melton. "Not only can they use the water collected in the rain barrel to water their gardens, they are also actively helping the environment by reducing pollution in local streams and rivers."

The discounted rain barrels are offered online at Upcycle Products Inc. starting at $61 plus $2.50 online handling fee. Once you are at the Upcycle Products Inc. website, click on the right side of the page and choose West Metro/Yukon.

Rain barrels ordered online can be picked up from noon to 4 p.m. on July 18 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 19 at 1035 Industrial Drive in Yukon. Bring your online order confirmation to the pickup event.

Future rain barrel pick up events will take place in Midwest City in October 2014 and Oklahoma City in March 2015.

For more information, contact Kacie Horton at 297-1774.

- Metro Cities Offer Low Cost Rain Barrels To Help Environment - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

[MsProudSooner]

My daughter lives in Allen, Texas. They are in Stage 3 water rationing and have been at that stage for a couple of years. They only supposed to water their lawn twice a week. The rain barrels sound like a good idea. I wonder if they've been encouraged to do that in Allen.

[bradh]

I still see way too many sprinklers going, especially the HOA ran ones. My system has been off for basically over a month now, and the yard is still very green.

[venture]

I still see way too many sprinklers going, especially the HOA ran ones. My system has been off for basically over a month now, and the yard is still very green.

I'm guessing most of those also ignore the fact the OKC is under continuous Odd/Even watering now. Some people just don't care.

[betts]

Some people don't care about pesticides either (New study out of the U. of California possibly linking maternal nearness to farms with high pesticide use to higher rates of autism, by the way - which may be one reason why autism rates are increasing so dramatically), or recycling, or decreasing pollution. My guess is it's the same attitudes - bad stuff won't happen to me. We won't run out of water, we won't poison our environment, global warming isn't real.

[boitoirich]

Betts, I see sprinklers running in the rain and I just get livid. My partner didn't see the big deal, and I realized that the owners probably didn't either. To me, I thought it all boiled down to a lack of environmental education in this state. But when I met some homeowners, it became clear that it was really more than that: so many people refuse to believe that their way of life contributes in any way to the environment.

Well, believe me my partner knows now exactly how I feel about the nexus of the environment, urban living, convenience, and entertainment. I may have gone off the deep end, because he now asks if it's OK to take a bath instead of a shower. But maybe even that is a win.

[betts]

What's interesting to me is that it almost seems to be a Republican Party platform that these things aren't real threats to mankind. And some people accept it like the Bible. I am a Conservative Republican ergo I do not believe in global warming, recycling is a waste of time, factories shouldn't be penalized economically for polluting the air, God gave man dominance over the water and so frivolous use is just fine, God forbid we come between Pharmaceutical companies and their profits, so it's just fine for Big Pharma to sell antibiotics to feed lots to make cattle fatter - never mind it creates antibiotic resistance. Big Pharma can just invent some insanely expensive new antibiotic for us whenever we can't use the others. Obviously there are exceptions, but I'm fairly shocked to hear some of my intelligent, conservative friends spout this kind of stuff.

[ylouder]

It's insane.

I'm on well water but still wonder how so many can turn a blind eye to industry use of 2-5 million gallons per oil/gas well (i think i heard something like 4600 wells completed last year), permanently make the water toxic, and then inject it further into the earth and expect it never to reenter the water cycle - ever. Never mind the 2300 earthquakes we've had this year to date where obviously the faults are being lubricated and shifting. That polluted water will never go anywhere except where that 3rd party llc contractor put it.

There is no drought, we arent compromising our limited aquifer and drinking water, ground water never runs out, recent and well recorded fracing water water polluting residents water supplies never happened. Period.

And I'm going to water my yard 5 days a week and when it's raining.

[Urbanized]

I haven't watered my lawn in 9 years. You're welcome.

[Just the facts]

But when I met some homeowners, it became clear that it was really more than that: so many people refuse to believe that their way of life contributes in any way to the environment.

It is even worse that that. Many people have attached political meaning to their way of life, which means if their politics is correct (which it is in their own mind) then there lifestyle must also be correct - and any perceived attack on their lifestyle is an attack on their politics, and then it goes downhill from there. I deal with it every single day from my 'conservative' friends. They equate their 1/3 acre lawn with Republican politics and if I tell them we don't have enough water to create 10,000 more 1/3 acre lawns for the 40,000 people moving to Jax in the 5 years then I am instantly branded a big government liberal (and we all know THAT isn't true) because an attack on their lifestyle is an attack on their politics. I think many of you here can identify the OKCTalk posters who follow this pattern to a 'T'.

[RadicalModerate]

I still see way too many sprinklers going, especially the HOA ran ones. My system has been off for basically over a month now, and the yard is still very green.

What was that old quip by Dorothy Parker . . ? "You can lead a HOA to water, but you can't make it think" . . ?

(for the sake of deobsfucation: You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think )

(Is there a safe and organic pesticide to keep rain barrel water from becoming a breeding place for mosquitos?)

[Dennis Heaton]

"deobsfucation"...is that similar to de-nazification?

[bombermwc]

I haven't watered my lawn in 9 years. You're welcome.

You laugh, but that's not as bad of a thing as it sounds. I purposely do not water my yard except a handful of times when it's extremely hot outside. What it does is force the grass to root much deeper. The more you water, the shorter the roots get. That shorter root causes it to be more drought prone. So while everyone with a sprinkler is going crazy to keep their grass from turning brown (or letting it go dormant), mine is actually still a normal color of green with MAYBE one a week watering. And it also means I only have to mow every other week instead of every week. That also means less motor exhaust from my mower (everything else it electric).

All this mess people do with spraying their yard is crazy too. I spray on a couple of rounds of pre-emergent in March, then some plan boring fertilizer in May. I have very little weeds and a nice thick green yard of grass. There is really so very little effort that has to be put forth to keep your yard green, and to do it in a less-impactful way. A lot of people don't get the education to do it, but like others have said, some people just don't care or don't think they have any impact. For those that think they don't have an impact, they won't change their mind until a law prohibits them from doing something (like non-nitrate fertilizers or something).

[Mr. Cotter]

How about the sprinkler heads pointed at the street?

If it goes a week without raining, I water once. I figure I do enough environmental good by using a push reel mower to make up for the occasional watering.

[MadMonk]

I haven't watered my lawn in 9 years. You're welcome.

You really have to do something about that. Your neighbors are beginning to complain.

[mkjeeves]

My lawn turned to dust bowl dirt after 2 decades of not watering, not fertilizing, not following "proper" turf care procedures along with the last few years of drought. Since the lot is sloped, that meant erosion when it did rain. This spring we knocked down all the furrowing, reseeded, poured the water and fertilizer to it and are now backing off to get the roots to grow down. It looks great, better even than when we moved in. I'm sure we'll find a happy medium, die or move before we kill it again.

[Just the facts]

I don't think Urbanized has a yard to water.

[mkjeeves]

I don't think Urbanized has a yard to water.

Isn't he the guy who makes a living from recreation on an artificial waterway or do I have my people confused?

[Dennis Heaton]

How about the sprinkler heads pointed at the street?

If it goes a week without raining, I water once. I figure I do enough environmental good by using a push reel mower to make up for the occasional watering.

Last Friday, Penn Square Mall had their Sprinklers going full blast...in the middle of the day!

The ones that really irk me, are the Apartment complexes, Neighborhood Associations, and the little Strip Malls that have their Sprinklers running...while it's raining!

If they don't stop doing that, we just might see another...

[bradh]

What's interesting to me is that it almost seems to be a Republican Party platform that these things aren't real threats to mankind. And some people accept it like the Bible. I am a Conservative Republican ergo I do not believe in global warming, recycling is a waste of time, factories shouldn't be penalized economically for polluting the air, God gave man dominance over the water and so frivolous use is just fine, God forbid we come between Pharmaceutical companies and their profits, so it's just fine for Big Pharma to sell antibiotics to feed lots to make cattle fatter - never mind it creates antibiotic resistance. Big Pharma can just invent some insanely expensive new antibiotic for us whenever we can't use the others. Obviously there are exceptions, but I'm fairly shocked to hear some of my intelligent, conservative friends spout this kind of stuff.

Wow, touched a button I see, you sure are painting with an awfully broad brush for someone who normally doesn't do so.

I consider myself conservative Republican, but am not totally ignorant to the land. You'll find many of the gun owning outdoorsman type Republicans are not disrespectful towards the land like you say. I don't think it's political like you say, it's just ignorant. But of course, it's par for the course on this board to haphazardly associate ignorance with conservative.

[HangryHippo]

Wow, touched a button I see, you sure are painting with an awfully broad brush for someone who normally doesn't do so.

I consider myself conservative Republican, but am not totally ignorant to the land. You'll find many of the gun owning outdoorsman type Republicans are not disrespectful towards the land like you say. I don't think it's political like you say, it's just ignorant. But of course, it's par for the course on this board to haphazardly associate ignorance with conservative.

You are one person. And it absolutely is political and becoming more so. Mainly owing to the fact it may introduce "burdensome regulation on industry." God forbid they're held responsible in any way.

[Bill Robertson]

Every morning the median on Classen from about NW30th to about NW45th has sprinklers on as we go to work. This morning the water covered all three lanes of Classen. Asphalt need not be watered.

[soonerguru]

Call the city action line. This is ridiculous and wasteful, particularly after we have had 12 inches of rain in the last month.

[Bill Robertson]

Call the city action line. This is ridiculous and wasteful, particularly after we have had 12 inches of rain in the last month.

I didn't think of that. I will now.

[bradh]

You are one person. And it absolutely is political and becoming more so. Mainly owing to the fact it may introduce "burdensome regulation on industry." God forbid they're held responsible in any way.

What would be a better option would be instead of burdensome regulation (which is what it always turns about to be, although the intent is sound, the execution is always overkill and bureaucratic), offer incentives to those who find better ways to do business, by polluting less, using less water, etc. Maybe it's already being done, but if an O&G exploration outfit develops better ways to utilize recycle water in their operations, reward that ingenuity and desire. Same goes for any other industry.