JEA Partners with Keep Jacksonville Beautiful and Duval County Public Schools

2013-07-11

Jacksonville, FL - JEA, in a partnership with the Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission (KJB) and Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), has supplied more than 170 rain barrels to Duval County public elementary, middle and high schools to promote the use of capturing and storing rain water.

Water collected from the rain barrels is substituting potable and well water now being used for school floral and vegetable gardens that are used as outdoor classrooms. The program addresses a need for providing irrigation water for school gardens and flower beds that are used as outdoor classrooms.

Spearheaded by KJB, this is a collaborative effort involving a number of local and national organizations. JEA is underwriting the cost of the program to promote water conservation. Barcardi donated the barrels, the City of Jacksonville provided staffing, the Teacher Supply Depot provided volunteers and storage facilities, and the University of Florida/Duval County Extension Office provided the training on rain barrel construction. 

Tours of a garden using the rain barrel will be available on Thursday, July 11th,  between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Palm Avenue Exceptional Student Center, 1301 Palm Ave. W., Jacksonville, FL 32254 

JEA is the seventh-largest community-owned electric utility in the United States and one of the largest water and sewer utilities in the nation providing electric, water and sewer service to residents in northeast Florida. 

Category:

• conservation
• education
• water