Portsmouth, NH – A small circle of spectators forms around the New Hampshire Coastal Protection Partnership (NH Coast) information tent at a recent Newmarket Farmers’ Market, filling the air with laughter as a young woman gets down on all fours and crawls inside a giant orange plastic barrel.

The bizarre spectacle is part of new approach to public education that the group is using to raise public awareness about nitrogen pollution and other problems facing the Lamprey River. Thanks to a generous $3,673 grant from the Lamprey River Advisory Committee (LRAC), NH Coast will be providing free “Make your own rain barrel” demonstrations at a number of upcoming local farmers’ markets and events located within the river’s watershed. Participants get to build their own rain barrel and take it home – for free!

“We wanted to provide a free and fun way for individuals and families to get involved in local grassroots efforts to protect the Lamprey River,” says David Anderson, Project Coordinator for NH Coast.

Upcoming dates and locations for NH Coast’s rain barrel demonstrations include: Saturday, August 14 at Newmarket Olde Homes Day; Sunday, August 15 at the Nottingham Farmers’ Market; and Saturday, August 21 at the Newmarket Farmers’ Market. NH Coast is also teaming up with the Greater Seacoast Permaculture Meetup Group to host a “Make your own rain barrel” workshop in Barrington on Sunday, August 22. For more information about these events, visit www.nhcoast.org.

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has identified the Lamprey River as one of a number of local surface waters that is currently impaired or threatened by nitrogen pollution. Nitrogen run-off from household sources like lawn fertilizers, pet waste, and septic tanks contributes to the problem.

“Rain barrels can play a role in solving the problem of nitrogen pollution by helping to contain stormwater before it can run-off into the river,” explains Anderson.

The communities that border the Lamprey River are also struggling to strike the right balance between the need to provide fresh drinking water to growing populations and the need to maintain the adequate water levels necessary to sustain the river’s ecological and recreational resources. The river already provides water to the Town of Durham and University of New Hampshire. As a result, the Lamprey River Management Plan has identified water conservation as a top priority for the communities that make up the river’s watershed.

“Rain barrels are time tested way to conserve water, particularly during dry summers like this one,” according to Anderson.