Save the Rain

The rains have come! Like many in Tucson, I love the monsoons – the dramatic light shows, the cool gusts of wind, and of course the rain.

But in watching the water flow down my street recently, I was frustrated that we still let such a precious resource just rush away from our city. Tucson has spent millions of dollars building big storm drains which generally work quite well, but we’ve invested little in the small infrastructure that would put the water in the ground.

“Planting the rain” is how Tucson’s Brad Lancaster describes it (see his recent video here). Small basins to capture runoff from buildings and neighborhood streets have the potential to bring huge benefits. They can support shade trees that cool our yards and streets, while reducing flood damage downstream.

Tucson can do much more to require new developments to design and build from the start with rainwater capture in mind, while supporting existing homeowners and businesses to retrofit rainwater capacity.

In a time of increasing drought and heat, why not capture the rain?

We also need to capture those primary election votes that might otherwise be lost from the city. Please join us for one or both phone parties this Sunday and Monday, July 25 and 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m. We will gather at 1609 E. Spring Street, with cold Eegees and sandwiches! Please RSVP to Dale at Info@KevinDahl4Tucson.com or 520-661-9654 so we can have enough food, drink, and lists for you.