Miami-Dade Cooperative Extension Helps Residents

MIAMI, September 2, 2008 Let Mother Nature do your irrigation work by capturing free rain water in a barrel. The Miami-Dade Cooperative
Extension will be hosting its next Rain Barrel Workshop on Saturday,September 13 at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, 2000 Convention Center Drive, from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants will learn how to build their own rain barrel, which helps conserve water and can reduce residents'water bill. The 55-gallon barrels provide residents with a free supply of non-chlorinated soft water and store enough to irrigate a 240 square-foot garden space. Lawn and garden irrigation make up nearly 40% of total household water use in the summer. Residents who use a rain barrel can expect to save 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months. By capturing rain water from your gutters, it also helps reduce storm water runoff, which carries fertilizers and other chemicals intolocal waterways.Theworkshops are held approximately every month. Participants must register in advance. To sign up, call 305-238-3311, ext. 230 or email millec4@ufl.edu .
The fee for the workshop and barrel is $45. Additional barrels may be purchased for $40 each. To attend the workshop and receive
instructional materials without the barrel, the fee is $10. Guests may attend for free but must pay if they would like workshop materials.
Payment must be made with personal checks or money orders. Please notecash and credit cards will not be accepted.
The Miami-Dade Cooperative Extension is a partnership of the Miami-DadeConsumer Services Department and the University of Florida. For a list of additional rain barrel workshops and information, visit http://miami-dadedade.ifas.ufl.edu/environment/natural_resources.shtml .
About CSD
The Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department investigates and mediates consumer complaints, enforces the County's consumer protection laws and business regulations and licenses certain businesses. For information on consumer protection laws, log on to the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department website at www.miamidade.gov/csd or call the Consumer
Mediation Center at (305) 375-3677.
It is the policy of Miami Dade County to comply with all of the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The facility is
accessible. For sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices or materials in accessible format, please call 305-375-3677 at least five days in advance.