The City of Los Angeles and Keep Los Angeles Beautiful Host First Rain Barrel Giveaway Event of the Season
LOS ANGELES (November 30, 2017) – The City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works Office of Community Beautification, Keep Los Angeles Beautiful (KLAB -- an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful), and Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, Council District 7, will host a free rain barrel distribution event on Saturday, December 2, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at Sylmar Charter High School (13050 Borden Ave., Sylmar, CA 91342).
“I’m proud to continue efforts to promote water sustainability,” said Councilwoman Rodriguez. “Harvesting rainwater for irrigation is an innovative way to conserve precious drinking water and save on your water bill. This is a gateway opportunity for residents of all ages to engage in water conservation.”
In 2014, then-Commissioner Monica Rodriguez spearheaded the City’s rain barrel distribution program in partnership with KLAB and Coca-Cola®. The Pilot Program distributed more than 1,000 repurposed syrup barrels, donated by Coca-Cola, to city residents. The program aligned with Mayor Eric Garcetti’s fifth executive directive to address Los Angeles’ ongoing historic drought and is part of the Save the Drop campaign to highlight water conservation and connect Angelenos to practical tips, tools, and rebates. The rain barrels available through this program are utilized to harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation or other non-potable uses.
“The free rain barrel distribution program provides residents with the resources and information needed to take personal action in preserving our water resources by capturing and reusing rainwater at home,” said Board of Public Works Commissioner and Keep Los Angeles Beautiful Chair Luz Rivas. “We are grateful to all of the partners involved that have made this program possible and to the community members that have enthusiastically responded to the program and continue to play a role in the City’s water conservation efforts.”
Rainwater is a natural resource that can be harvested to supplement the existing potable water supply at residences throughout the City of Los Angeles. The free rain barrel distribution event will prepare Angelenos for the upcoming rainy season. All partners involved encourage city residents to do their part to capture rainwater and help reduce the amount of polluted storm water that flows into our local waterways and conserve potable water by using rainwater for irrigation purposes at home.
City of Los Angeles residents unable to attend this event can also purchase rain barrels and cisterns at a home improvement or garden store and apply for the SoCal WaterSmart Rebate Program offered by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Rebates start at $35 per barrel or $250 per cistern. For more information on the SoCal WaterSmart Rebate Program, visit http://socalwatersmart.com/rebates.
For more information on the Rain Barrel Program, visit http://dpw.lacity.org/office-community-beautification.
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About L.A. City Department of Public Works
The Department of Public Works is comprised of five bureaus: Contract Administration, Engineering, Sanitation, Street Lighting, and Street Services, as well as the Offices of the Board, including the Offices of Community Beautification, Filming and Petroleum Administration. More than 5,500 employees are responsible for design, construction, renovation and operation of public projects ranging from bridges to wastewater treatment plants and libraries; curbside collection and graffiti removal; and maintenance of streets, sidewalks, sewers, streetlights and street trees.
The Department is governed by the Board of Public Works (BPW), a five-member full-time executive team that is committed to delivering projects and programs that enhance quality of life, economic growth, public health and the environment to all Angelenos.
For more information, please visit http://bpw.lacity.org.
About Keep Los Angeles Beautiful
Keep Los Angeles Beautiful, established in 2007, is a citywide volunteer-based community improvement and education campaign affiliated with Keep America Beautiful to engage residents, businesses and local government in programs that prevent litter and promote the reduction of waste through reuse and recycling, and beautification projects. Through public-private partnerships and strategic alliances, Keep Los Angeles Beautiful mobilizes thousands of volunteers to clean up, beautify and improve their neighborhoods, upholding quality of life and protecting community environments in the City of Los Angeles. For more information, please visit http://dpw.lacity.org/office-community-beautification.