DIY Opportunities

Your yard can look beautiful, and protect our water quality by clicking on the links below!

• Rain Garden - check out this how-to on creating beautiful and functional flower gardens to assist in rain absorption!
• Low Maintenance Landscaping - sick of mowing that lawn? Here's a great way to incorporate more flora into your yard and reduce your mowing time.
• Fertilizer Application - it takes less fertilizer than most realize to correctly fertilize your plants. Read this informational pamphlet and learn about how much is just right for your lawn!
• Lawn Watering - a yellowing lawn might not be appealing to most, but either are high water bills! Learn about how you can keep healthy lawns and healthy pockets.

Spring Project: Build a Rain Barrel!

What is it?

A rain barrel is container made of a plastic material or metal that stores run off rain water. This water is collected through your gutter and is directed into the barrel. These barrels are a great way to conserve water and save money.

Most rain barrels consist of A large (30-55 gallon) barrel, inlet drain, spigot, and some kind of filter material.

Why should I have a rain barrel?

Most of the water that runs off of our homes ends up on surfaces that don’t allow the water to soak into the ground. These are called impervious surfaces and include cement, asphalt, and even compacted soils. These materials force water into our storm drains and the water can pick up pollutants like leaves, fertilizers, oils, and nitrogen on its way to the nearest lake or stream.

Rainfall in Minnesota is some of the cleanest, softest water you have access to. It’s estimated that during the summer, nearly 40% of household water is used for lawn and garden maintenance. A rain barrel collects the water when you don’t need it and saves it for the times when you need it the most! Using a barrel system also means that you won’t be drawing water from the city as often, which means a lower water bill!

The amount of water you can collect over a year can be calculated using the following math:

First, take the dimensions of the footprint of your roof and convert them to inches

Next, multiply the roof dimensions by the number of inches of rainfall.

Finally, divide by 231 (since 1 gallon=231 cubic inches)

50’x20’ roof footprint to inches= (50x12)x(20x12)=144,000 square inches

144,000 square inches x rainfall amount of .5 inches = 72,000 cubic inches

72,000 cubic inches / 231 = 311.7 gallons of water during a half inch rainfall

The average rainfall per year in Cambridge is 28.1”. For this same roof, 17,516 gallons of water will come off the roof per year.

Where should I put my rain barrel?

9 times out of 10, the best place to put your rain barrel is directly in line with your downspout on your gutter. The other thing to consider is where you’re going to be using the collected water. Putting the barrel on top of a small shelf or some brick will allow you to use a hose off of the spigot while having enough pressure to move the water a bit further away.

How should I build my rain barrel?

What you’ll need:

• Barrel
• Two ¾” plastic faucets
• 3’4” female coupling
• Teflon tape
• Caulk or plumbing sealant
• 5ft of garden hose
• 1 square foot of window screen
• Skimmer basket

Tools you’ll need:

• 7/8” spade bit
• Jigsaw
• Drill
• Utility knife
• Sharpie

 Step 1: Use the basket to trace a template on the top of the barrel. Use the jigsaw to cut INSIDE the line.

Step 2: Mark a hole 2-3 inches from the bottom of the barrel. Put this on the opposite side of the top hole in step one. Use your spade bit to cut the hole and attempt to thread the faucet into the hole. If needed, clean out the hole with your utility knife. Once a snug fit is achieved, remove the faucet and wrap the threads in Teflon tape and re thread into the hole. Caulk the meeting point between the faucet and barrel to ensure a seal.

Step 3: Mark a hole 2-3 inches from the top of the barrel. Repeat step 2

Step 4: Take the skimmer basket and wrap it in the window screen before caulking the screen to the lip of the basket. Allow it to dry and then insert it into the top hole.

Step 5: Build a base to elevate your barrel and prevent it from sinking. Adjust your downspout to flow into the top hole of the barrel or purchase a length of flex hose that will allow you to do so. Make sure you leave your overflow valve open!

Leaves & Grass

Keep clippings off streets and sidewalks. When you mow, prune, or weed wack, make sure to clean up. Bagging your yard waste for curbside pick-up, mulching yard waste for use in landscaping, or composting yard waste, are great ways to recycle it and keep it away from streets. Leaves and grass feed algae growth (and smell) in lakes and streams. Make sure your yard clippings do not end up on the street.

Dirt

When gardening or resodding, keep the soil in place. Prevent erosion by using mulch, straw, ground cover plants, berms, or other barriers, especially near impervious surfaces such as sidewalks and driveways. Covering temporary piles of dirt, and putting straw or mulch over gardens and newly seeded areas will also slow erosion and protect new plants.

Fertilizers, Herbicides, Pesticides

If you must use fertilizer, choose a slow-release fertilizer, and be sure to not over use. Lightly, water in your fertilizer, to make sure it soaks in and doesn’t wash out with the next rain fall. If using pesticides and herbicides, remember these chemicals can alter the ecological balance of wetlands. For instance, certain pesticides eliminate important micro organisms that control algae growth. Choose carefully to ensure your products do not harm water quality and aquatic health. Keep all fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides off paved surfaces and out of drainage paths. Use minimal amounts, do not apply before or during a rain event, and follow all label instructions. Reminder: Since January, 2005, use of phosphorus fertilizers is illegal in Minnesota.

Landscaping

Use rain gardens, or naturalize areas in your yard. Keep a vegetative buffer at lake shores and streams to prevent land loss and sedimentation. Even on gentle slopes, water from rain and snow can remove large amounts of soil and carry it to wetlands, lakes, and streams. Native plants are a great way to stabilize soils and create beneficial impacts on our environment.

Have a Sprinkling System? Spend Less Money on Watering!

Reminder: City Ordinance regulates sprinkling system use to reduce water waste and strain on our stormwater system. Remember to not deliberately allow your sprinkling or irrigation system to run into streets or drains. Sprinkling system use is permitted May 1-August 31st, on odd/even days (dependent on if address is odd or even). Watering is prohibited between NOON and 6:00 PM.

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