Rain Harvesting Project at Rock Eagle Shared with the Community Through a grant provided by the Coca-Cola


Foundation and National 4-H Council, Rock Eagle has been able to harvest hundreds of gallons of rain water, while developing partnerships with the local community to educate others about the importance of water conservation. This project began with the development of a Rain Harvesting Station at Rock Eagle 4-H Center. This station was installed on the Rock Eagle Museum and consists of 2 – 300 gallon storage containers. An estimated 12,000 gallons of water have been saved over the course of the year. The second phase of this project was a


rain barrel workshop, which individuals from the surrounding counties were given the opportunity to apply for a spot in the program. A rain barrel is a system that captures and stores rainwater from your roof. By capturing this water the rain barrel prevents the water from being lost to runoff and reducing erosion. Rain barrels provide homeowners with “free” water that can be used year round, especially during the summer months when outdoor watering is at its peak. Rain barrels also have a positive impact on the environment by diverting water from storm drains and decreasing the impact of runoff in our local streams.


Nine participants were selected to take part


in the workshop. Each participant was provided a 55 gallon rain barrel free of charge provided they commit to 3 months of water monitoring. Each participant was responsible for installing their barrel onto their home. While reporting their water savings participants were asked to record the ways in which they used their harvested water. A few uses participants reported using their collected water were: washing cars, irrigating plants, and cleaning off their driveways. Along with the partnership with the local


community, the Rock Eagle staff continues to share information regarding water conservation and the Rain Harvesting project with students participating in the Rock Eagle Environmental Education and Summer Camping Programs. An estimate 20,000 students may have exposure to the Harvest Station and will be exposed to ways they can incorporate water savings into their daily lives. The overall goal of this project was not only to share with both youth and adult participants concepts of water conservation, but also to help them find ways to incorporate these concepts into their lifestyles.


Bill Reed


Mattie Saffold


rockeagle4h.org 9


Howatt Mallinson


Nate Collins


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