RARITAN RIVER RAIN BARREL REBATE PROGRAM CONTINUES FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF BRIDGEWATER, RARITAN & SOMERVILLE
SOMERVILLE, NJ – The Somerset County Regional Center Partnership, utilizing a grant from the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA), has announced that the Rain Barrel Rebate Program, now in its fourth year, will continue into the fall season with substantial rebates available to residents in the Regional Center communities of Bridgewater, Raritan, and Somerville.
The Rebate Program in intended to encourage residents to purchase and install rain barrels by offering rebates up to $200. Rebates are available in the amount of $50 for rain barrels that hold 40 to 70 gallons and $100 for barrels that hold more than 70 gallons. The average rebate distributed amounts to 65%of the product cost based on a price survey of local stores. Rebates are available for multiple rain barrels that meet all criteria.
Rain barrels must have a closed design or screen top; have a system to direct excess water away from the home’s foundation; have a spigot not higher that 3” from the bottom of the barrel; and must be made of a sturdy material and installed on a solid level base. Homeowners must pledge to maintain the rain barrel for at least two years to be eligible for the rebate.
Residential homeowners within the Peters Brook Watershed who purchased and installed rain barrels after July 1, 2011 are eligible for a rebate. Residents outside the Watershed but within the boundaries of the three municipalities must have made the purchase after January 1, 2014 to quality for the rebate. Sufficient documentation is required.
Rain barrels provide homeowners with financial and ecological advantages by conserving water for general household use, easing stream erosion by reducing the volume of runoff entering to streams and rivers during storms, and reducing pollutants accumulated from impervious surfaces, particularly roads and parking lots. In established urban areas like the Regional Center, rainwater runoff from hard surfaces flows directly into streams, depositing these pollutants.
“The program has been very successful over the four years that the Regional Center and New Jersey Water Supply Authority have partnered,” commented Troy Fischer, Chair of the Somerset County Regional Center Partnership. “Homeowners in the Regional Center are benefitting financially on the front end with the purchase price, on the back end with savings on water usage, and globally by helping to sustain the environment.”
Rebates are awarded on a first come, first served basis, and funding is limited. Detailed information can be found on the Regional Center Partnership’s website at www.regionalcenterpartnership.org, by calling 908-685-0315 x234 or sending an email to rainbarrel@raritanbasin.org.