Author: Kate Pittman

For most of the 10 years I’ve lived in Gwinnett County, the Atlanta Metro Area has suffered some degree of drought conditions, belying the stereotyped “rainy night in Georgia”.  Two years ago we were under the severest watering restrictions ever seen in the region.  Homeowners were forced to turn off their automatic irrigation systems, and were limited to 20 minutes of hand watering during specific hours on assigned days of the week. Lawns turned brown, lawn maintenance companies laid off employees, and the iconic Pikes’ Family Nurseries filed for bankruptcy.  During that time there was no shortage of “Volunteer Opportunities” for a Master Gardener willing to give presentations on rain barrel instillation, or on other WaterSmart Landscaping techniques. All of that changed when an 8-day rain-event, between September 14 and September 22, 2009, brought record rainfall to the area.  Official gauging stations showed that portions of Gwinnett County received 11…