Seasonal Alerts

We all need a little reminder sometimes!

Receive seasonal alerts and updates by email by signing up with RiverSides. Seasonal alerts will include:

• Tips for spring, summer and fall gardening
• Spring and Fall maintenance for your rain barrel
• "After the rain, its time to drain!" A friendly reminder to empty your rainbarrel after storm events.
• Water conservation tips during summer months.
  
• Tips for winter snow and ice removal.

Highlighted Tip for This Spring:

• Lawns only need 1 inch or 3 cm of water per week so keep this in mind when watering your lawns this summer. Use a rain gauge or even an empty container to determine the amount of rain collected each week. Water your lawn according to these measurements by also leaving another container on level ground when watering your lawn. You can easily gauge when to stop watering because you will know the amount of water your lawn received in a week and you will control the amount of watering with respect to the 1inch or 3 cm requirement per week. To further conserve water, use a RiverSafe RainBarrel for all your watering purposes!

Spring Seasonal Updates:

• Clean your eavestroughs and rainbarrel filter system. Ensure that downspouts are free from debris.
• Sweep porous pavement with a stiff bristle brush to ensure openings between pavers are loose enough to accept infiltration.
• Empty your rain barrel as soon as possible after each rainstorm. Don’t worry about summer drought until June. Remember: after the rain, it’s time to drain.
• Plant trees in cool weather.
• If you have to use a sprinkler to water your lawn/garden, don't water your pavement! Adjust your sprinkler on your lawn/garden only. This will maximize your water use and minimize runoff into sewers.
• Mulch around newly planted annuals and perennials to ensure no runoff from uncovered soils.
• Change water consuming grass to drought-resistant and low maintenance ground cover such as rye and fescue varieties.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway this spring/summer.
• Plant trees to create shade and use mulch in your gardens to reduce evaporation of water and runoff.
• Aerate your lawn to increase infiltration.

RainBarrel Maintenance:

• After heavy rains, clean your filter system, ensuring that water runs freely into your rain barrel.
• Check the overflow port - ensure nothing is obscuring its flow.
• When empty, check to ensure your rainbarrel is on a flat and level surface.