Make A Difference Day

Volunteers Work Together for Puget Sound

On Saturday, October 22, Snohomish Conservation District partnered with King 5, Lowe's, Phillip's Law Firm to assemble over 150 rain barrels made from upcycled food grade barrels. Volunteers assembled the barrels with record breaking speed - 150 in just over an hour. The rain barrels were then sold at-cost to local homeowners. Once installed, these barrels will help to store an estimated 135,000 gallons of water during large storm events, helping to reduce urban flooding, erosion, and polluted stormwater runoff. 

Volunteers drill and thread holes into recycled food-grade barrels.

After beating the speed record for the fastest DIY rain barrel assembly ever, volunteers pose for a photo in front of the finished rain barrels. 

We also teamed up with Stewardship Partners, King 5, Lowe's, and ATG Stores to give a lucky landowner a backyard makeover - complete with a rain garden and $1000 in outdoor furniture! Rain gardens are shallow depressions planted with native plants and a special soil mix that are designed to collect stormwater from driveways, roofs and parking lots. 

Lowe's Heroes Volunteer planting a plant into the newly constructed rain garden.

Both rain gardens and rain barrels are Best Management Practices that help address residential flooding issues while protecting Puget Sound from polluted runoff. To learn more about rain gardens or rain barrels be sure to visit our Sound Homes page or email kate@snohomishcd.org.

Thanks to all the heroes who volunteered their time in stewardship projects across Puget Sound. 

More photos and a write up can be found here: http://www.king5.com/news/local/make-a-difference-day-in-the-puget-sound-area/339369826