Summer has arrived once again here in Charlottesville. With all the torrential rain and chilly temps in the past few weeks it was momentarily easy to forget it can also get quite hot and very dry. We have had drought conditions in the past and this area has responded rapidly and like a trooper.

Something that has recently come to my attention is the fact that the City of Charlottesville is now offering a $30 rebate if homeowners in the city install rain barrels by an authorized dealer and submit the invoice with their water bill.

My assistant found out this information a few weeks ago and immediately jumped at the chance to save a little money and provide a free source of "play" water for her children to take care of the garden themselves or for other projects in the form of a 50-gallon barrel that sits discretely on her deck.

The barrel is attached to the downspout of a gutter and has an overflow tube when the barrel is full. The water comes out through a spigot that can easily be hooked up to an existing garden hose near the bottom of the barrel - no other hardware or technology required.

If anyone in the City of Charlottesville is interested in finding out more about the program they can contact Brian Buckley of Harvesting Rain at 434-326-2898 or by email at brianbuckley4@yahoo.com.