Bellemeade, the Rain Barrel Capitol of Richmond?

Installed barrel

by Amber Ellis, JRA's Watershed Restoration Associate/Volunteer Coordinator

As part of our continuing efforts in the Bellemeade Walkable Watershed project in the Bellemeade section of Richmond, JRA is teaching homeowners about how to be better stewards of their property for the sake of a healthy James River and by becoming a River Hero Home. In order for a homeowner to become a River Hero Home they need to install some type of Best Management Practice (BMP) on their property, so JRA has been on the lookout for rain barrels for Bellemeade. Fortunately the City of Richmond was able to donate the extra barrels from their Build a Barrel, Save the Bay program to JRA. This program engaged students from various Richmond Public Schools to build and decorate rain barrels.

The first River Hero Home flag with the view of the soon to open Oak Grove Bellemeade Elementary School.

Several weeks ago, Amber Ellis, JRA’s Watershed Restoration Associate, sat down with interested homeowners in Bellemeade to help them fill out their River Hero Home applications. Gay Stokes, with the City of Richmond, assisted them with their application to receive credit on their Stormwater Utility Fee. 

RiverRats Cris Pond and Rich Marino installing a rain barrel

RiverRat Mike Schlosser

On November 28^th, JRA RiverRats Rich Marino, Cris Pond, and Mike Schlosser, loaded up their trucks with the colorful barrels and headed out to install them at the selected homes. A total of 7 homes received rain barrels and became River Hero Homes! There is another wave of barrels going in soon and we hope that the momentum keeps growing in the community and that they all become River Hero Homes!

Residents with their new rain barrel

For more information about the Bellemeade Walkable Watershed project visit http://www.gicinc.org/projectbellemeade.htm

For more information about JRA’s River Hero Homes program visit www.jamesriverhero.org