Media Coverage
of Prairie Rain Harvester, Inc.
Looking
for a way to save water -- and money? Try a rain barrel (PDF)
“A rain barrel is like putting a measuring cup under your downspout,”
says Austin Grammer, who sells rain barrels wholesale from his business,
Prairie Rain Harvester Inc. in Farmer City. “It helps people
put a quantity to the amount of rain that is falling on their roofs.
The State Journal-Register, Springfield, IL - March 28, 2009
Illinois
Lt. Governor Pat Quinn Touts Rain Barrels Use / Rain Barrel Raffle
Online (PDF)
"This is a simple solution that can save your home from unnecessary
water damage and your pocketbook from excessive water bills,"
Quinn said. "We want to get people thinking and acting on rain
barrels. This is certainly part of our effort to try to keep our river
clean as well as any other waterway. We want Illinois to be the rain
barrel capital of the world."
The Times, Ottawa, IL - August 13, 2008
Rain
Barrel Informational Display At 2008 Illinois State Fair
Prairie Rain Harvester CEO, Austin Grammer, provided a informational
display about rain water harvesting and rain barrels in the courtyard
of Lt. Governor Pat Quinn's Office tent at the 2008 Illinois State
Fair.
Click
here to see pictures of the display!
Click here to
view the PDF of the informational signs!
2008 Illinois State Fair - Springfield, IL - August 8-17, 2008
Lt.
Governor Pat Quinn Launches Drawing for Three Free Rain Barrels! (PDF)
Following the recent storms that took the Chicago area by surprise,
Lt. Governor Pat Quinn is launching a free contest that will allow
three lucky Illinois residents to win an artistically painted rain
barrel and a way to “rein in the rain.” Austin Grammer,
who manufactures rain barrels in Champaign, is donating the three
painted rain barrels that will be awarded to Illinois residents through
a random drawing.
Office of Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn - August 8, 2008
Rain
Barrels in the News & News About Related Water Issues:
Washington
May Wipe Out Driveway Car Washing
"We want people to make the connection of 'what goes on the street
goes into the creek,'" ....the runoff contains soap, chemicals
and oil, and it all ends up in streams, rivers and lakes."
OregonLive.com - September 17, 2008
Facing
the Freshwater Crisis
"In the past the cost of freshwater in the U.S. and other economic
powers has been too low to encourage users to save water: as often
happens when people exploit a natural resource, few worry about waste
if a commodity is so cheap that it seems almost free... The notion
of virtual water may sound initially like a mere accounting device,
but provision of goods—and the virtual-water content of those
goods—is helping many dry countries avoid using their own water
supplies for growing crops, thus freeing up large quantities for other
applications."
Scientific American Magazine - July 23, 2008
Top
10 Water Wasters: From Washing Dishes to Watering the Desert
"Many of us use water thoughtlessly; it seems as abundant as
the air we breathe and a free swig is available almost anywhere. But
fresh, potable water is already a precious commodity in many drier
parts of the world, and as it grows rarer—and thus, dearer—in
developed countries, the true value of H2O is beginning to seep in."
Scientific American Magazine - July 23, 2008
Collecting
Public Rainwater is Tricky - Colorado Legislature Considers Ways to
Make it Legal
"The right to use water in Colorado - unlike Eastern states -
is based on what is called the prior appropriation doctrine. A water
right depends on when a user's claim is legally recognized. First
come, first served."
The Durango Herald - July 17, 2008
Rainwater
Recycling Plan Costs in Richardson, TX - Check out the video clip!
"Bill Burke thinks a rainwater harvester can save 8,000 gallons
of city water. But the City of Richardson is not making it easy to
implement. "Oil's not cheap and free. At some point water won't
be either,” he said. “So start making better use of it instead
of letting it run off.""
WFAA-TV Dallas / Fort Worth - July 4, 2008
Can
You Own the Rain? - Opinion Piece About Legalizing Rainwater Harvesting
in Colorado
"People who make a personal effort to collect and utilize rain
are less likely to waste water or tolerate public policies that allow
waste by others, such as inefficient irrigation or inappropriate residential
landscaping. When people are maintaining gutters and cisterns to flush
their toilets or grow their gardens, they are more likely to appreciate
the importance and scarcity of water."
Denver Post - June 27, 2008
Wet
Weather Continues for Illinois; State Records Third Wettest January-May
in Over 100 Years
"For the fifth time this year, the monthly statewide precipitation
total has been above average, resulting in the third wettest January-May
since 1895"
Illinois State Water Survey - June 10, 2008
Water
Crisis to be Biggest World Risk
"Water is not a renewable resource. People have been mining it
without restraint because it has not been priced properly...water
is the petroleum for the next century."
London Daily Telegraph - June 6, 2008
L.A.
Will Make Water a Terrible Thing To Waste
"The initiative would punish water wasters and limit such activities
as watering lawns and washing vehicles. And it would revive a controversial
effort to recycle sewage water."
Los Angeles Times - May 15, 2008
Yard
Parched? N.C. State Students Offer Solution
"Rain barrels are a cost-effective alternative to tap water for
watering yards and gardens. They're important during droughts, especially
by helping reduce peak water demand during the summer, and they reduce
peak volume and velocity of stormwater runoff to streams and storm
sewer systems."
WRAL-TV Raleigh, NC - February 27, 2008
