DAVENPORT, Iowa — April 22 is Earth Day and one Quad Cities organization is working to get the community involved in protecting the environment.
For the Quad Cities, annual river flooding is a way of life that can go from slightly hazardous to dangerous. River Action of the Quad Cities is hoping to help this problem through its "River Action Rolls Out The Rain Barrels" event.
On Monday morning, volunteers rolled out 400 rain barrels to be distributed to community gardens and other organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, Tapestry Farms, The Floreciente Neighborhood and Rock Island Community Gardens.
Rain barrels are used to collect stormwater and help mitigate the impact of stormwater runoff. Each gallon of rainwater saved is water that isn't flowing into nearby creeks and rivers, which would raise the risk of severe flooding.
After their delivery event this morning, River Action will have distributed over 6,000 barrels across the community through its "Retain the Rain" program.
More information on rain barrel distribution can be found by calling River Action at (563) 322-2969 or emailing them at raprograms@riveraction.org.
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