Jude Holland, local resident, volunteers for Fox-Wolf and other area groups.
Jude Holland doesn’t drink from the well in her backyard – there’s way too much arsenic in the water. But she figured she could still use the water to irrigate her flower beds.
“When I bought my home, I figured out where I could build a garden,” she said. “I put in a raised bed because I wanted fresh, non-contaminated dirt. But I couldn’t use my terrible well water,” she realized. That’s when she decided to put up two rain barrels.
The first year, there wasn’t quite enough water in her barrels for the whole garden, so she added a third.
“I added a new garden later,” Jude said, “and then it was the same year we had a drought.” Which may explain why Jude is now up to five rain barrels.
Trying to grow a safe, healthy garden has certainly taught Jude the importance of knowing your water quality. She is also now a volunteer with Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance. She and a friend both heard about the opportunity to sample water and decided to join together.
“Steph puts on waders and gets in the water,” Jude explained. “I label the bottles and write things down.”
When they started doing their water samples years ago, they stood on the dock of a nearby restaurant. The bartender came out to shoo them away, saying, “Are you the DNR? This is a private dock.”
Once Jude and Steph explained who they were, the man was intrigued by their work. Not only are they now welcome on the property, the owner jokes with them that if they fall in, “I’ll pull you out and give you a drink!”
Building relationships like these is one of the things that sets Fox-Wolf apart in the community. When working at the level of an entire watershed, it’s important to have partnerships that include residents, businesses, organizations, and government agencies. Volunteers like Jude are making a big difference for water quality, both at home with her rain barrels and in the field with her water sampling.
Rain Barrels: benefiting you and our waters
Rain runs off your rooftop, onto your driveway, down the street and into the storm drain collecting dirt, debris, fertilizer and other harmful substances along the way. All of the polluted water ends up in our local waters unless we stop the water where it falls!
A rain barrel is a system that collects rainwater from your roof that would otherwise be lost to runoff. Rain barrels come in a wide variety of materials, designs and colors.
Rain water is best for plants. Catching rain water in a rain barrel allows you to water your garden and plants indoors and out during dry periods. Instead of paying for water from the tap, you can use the water you collect to keep your landscape healthy – saving you money!
Using a rain barrel benefits you and our local waters. Water stored in a rain barrel won’t rush off your property and carry pollutants to our streams and rivers. Not only that, water that is used for watering filters into the ground and replenishes the ground water supply. Two great benefits from one barrel!
Watershed Moments is a publication of Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, sharing the stories of how your donations have impacted lives in our community. Read our latest project updates, make a secure online donation, or become a member at www.fwwa.org
