Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens

Don't let all this rain go to waste! Rain barrels and rain gardens are just two ways Wisconsin's Water Library recommends beating the rain shower blues (and prevent flooding!).

Rain barrels are water tanks which are used to collect and store rain water runoff, typically from rooftops via rain gutters. This prevents excess rain water flooding storm sewers and water mains. Also, the collected water can be used to water plants and gardens during the drier, summer months.

If you live in Dane County and are interested in purchasing a rain barrel, Sustain Dane distributes RainReserve® Rain Barrels for a fee. Sustain Dane is a non-profit organization committed to creating communities that deeply enjoy, care for and are sustained by their unique environment. You can save money by purchasing a RainReserve® Rain Barrel at Habitat Restore's Earth Day Event on Saturday April 18th and receive $15.00 off single system or $20.00 off tandem system.

Rain gardens capture water in a shallow depression planted with vegetation that filters the water as it slowly seeps into the ground. This creates cleaner groundwater and protects our lakes and streams. To learn how to start a rain garden, check out Wisconsin's Water Library's new rain gardens reading list.

To request books from our reading list:
UW-Madison faculty, student or staff request books from MadCat.
Wisconsin residents request books by filling out a book request form.

Flood seminar seeks to avoid future devastation

Two national experts will join more than a dozen Wisconsin researchers and government officials in April in Madison at a symposium aimed at helping Wisconsin communities avoid devastating floods like those that inundated the Midwest last year.

Gerry Galloway, of the University of Maryland, and Ray Burby, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will highlight the symposium "From Sandbags to Sanity: The Policy Implications of the Midwest Floods of 2008," to be held Monday, April 20, at the Monona Terrace convention center.

The project is funded by the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment, now it its seventh year, which supports projects that advance the Wisconsin Idea through collaborations with communities and outside organizations. Additional support is being provided by the UW-Madison Water Resources Institute and the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy.

The daylong conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required and limited to 150. To register, call Bridget Pirsch at 608-265-2658 or e-mail her at pirsch@lafollette.wisc.edu. Deadline is Wednesday, April 15.

To learn more, check out complete article at UW News.

In the News

Philip Moy was recently interviewed on UW-Milwaukee Public Radio's show Lake Effect on the Asian Carp barrier. Moy is a fisheries and invasive species outreach specialist for the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute out of Manitowoc. He also co-chairs an advisory panel working with the Army Corps of Engineers on a project to build an electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in an effort to keep Asian Carp out of Lake Michigan.

To hear the interview, go to WUWM's website and scroll down to March 24th recording titled Asian Carp Invasion.

Water Quality of Potential Concern in US Private Wells

More than 20 percent of private domestic wells sampled nationwide contain at least one contaminant at levels of potential health concern, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). About 43 million people - or 15 percent of the Nation's population - use drinking water from private wells, which are not regulated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Read more...

Web Resource: Listen to your lakes.org

A resource on the Great Lakes brought to you by Shedd Aquarium. The website includes tips and topics, events in and around Chicago area, and additional resources from participating partners such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

In the News

Michael Scott, a reporter for The Plain Dealer based in Cleveland, Ohio, looks into Great Lakes ice cover and what it may mean to climate change studies. The article, focuses on the research of Jia Wang and Ray Assel, investigators for NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL).

To view their research, go to GLERL's website.

For additional information, go to the Great Lakes Ice Cover brochure.

Hydrologist named Gaylord Nelson Professor

A UW-Madison hydrologist widely known for his work in watershed protection has been named the university's next Gaylord Nelson Distinguished Professor.

Kenneth Potter, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and environmental studies, will hold the honorary title for the next four years. The award includes an annual stipend for flexible research support.

To read full article, go to UW-Madison news.