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Community Corner

Regional Center Rain Barrel Rebates Expand to Bridgewater

REGIONAL CENTER RAIN BARREL REBATE PROGRAM EXPANDS TO 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, has expanded in reach to include all residents in the Regional Center communities of Bridgewater, Raritan, and Somerville.

 

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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 those that hold 40 to 70 gallons and $100 for barrels that hold more than 70 gallons. Rebates are available for multiple rain barrels that meet all criteria.

 

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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 purchased after January 1, 2014. Sufficient documentation is required.

 

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.

 

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.

 

“A rain barrel is a simple and effective way of practicing environmental responsibility,” commented Troy Fischer, Chair of the Somerset County Regional Center Partnership. “Homeowners in the Regional Center have a unique opportunity to recoup their investment twice, once through the rebate and multiple times through re-use of rain water.”

 

Rebates will be 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.

 

BACKGROUNDER

The Somerset County Regional Center is the strategic center of the County consisting of 12.6 square miles encompassing Raritan Borough, Somerville Borough, and a portion of Bridgewater Township. The Center is bisected by U.S. Route 206, U.S. Route 202, U.S. Route 22, NJ State Route 28, and I-287 with public transit options and serves as the focal point of County government and the regional economy.

 

The Regional Center designation illustrates the State Planning Commission’s support for:

 

•     achievement of policy objectives in priority areas for economic growth and investment

•     encourages development and redevelopment by reclaiming  brownfields, and a broad range of        planning and implementation initiatives

•     makes available priority funding for economic and community programs that provide for assistance with redevelopment in existing downtown business districts, new infill development opportunities, and residential and non-residential development along major highway and mass transit corridors

•     will foster more effective mass transportation linkages and may provide priority funding for key intersections, corridor improvements and improved pedestrian accessibility

•     makes available priority support for open space concepts by planning and designing new and        existing active recreation facilities, for passive open space acquisitions, and for new and existing historic preservation and revitalization programs.


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