HAYS, Kan. -- Western Kansas is going green with the help of Kansas State Research and Extension Service and Fort Hays State University's agriculture students. FHSU's home horticulture class students will take part in a service-learning project that allows homeowners to purchase rain barrels for use in landscaping.

A rain barrel can be directly connected to the home's downspout. Collecting rainwater and using it slowly on the landscape encourages infiltration, which helps prevent run-off of pollutants into local streams, creeks, and rivers. In the heat of summer, nearly 40 percent of household water is used for outdoor watering.

Each barrel is only $10 with a limit of four per household. Register at the Ellis County Extension Office at 601 Main St. in Hays or attend the event from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, in the KSU Agriculture Research Center, 1242 240th Ave. in Hays. The event is open to the public.

For more information about the rain barrels, visit www.mykansaswatershed.com/rainbarrels, or contact Stacie Minson, KSU watershed specialist, at (785) 650-1282 or sedgett@ksu.edu.