Rain Barrel Workshop

This 1500 gallon rainbarrel takes several rains to fill up but will water your yard all summer in a dry year

Those raindrops add up, as we’ve seen lately in some flooding incidents. While the issue may seem too big for any individual to do something about it, a rain barrel at the end of a residential downspout can make a big difference in the amount of stormwater pouring into Chartiers Creek.

The average rain barrel holds about 40 gallons of rainwater, and while rainwater isn’t clean enough to drink, it can be used after the storm to water the garden, wash the car, even fill a small wading pool or your backyard pond.

Individuals can be part of this stormwater solution by making their own rain barrel for home use at a Rain Barrel Workshop. Building a rain barrel isn’t difficult and doesn’t require a lot of expertise. Participants are provided with recycled, clean food barrels and required hardware, and only need to drill a few holes and put it all together. You are given instructions on installing the rain barrel once you get it home. It’s simple enough for children and adults, and fun enough to want to make two. It’s also equipped with an overflow hose to direct water away from the foundation during a storm and a mosquito screen to cover the inflow opening to keep breeding mosquitoes out.

The Scott Township Community Room was the site of a rain barrel workshop sponsored by the Scott Township Environmental Council and the Lower Chartiers Watershed Council. Under the guidance of Don McGuirk, the participants constructed rain barrels for use at home (photo, right) Larger rainbarrels, like those shown in the pictures, above, are available from farm supply outlets.

This 350 gallon rainbarrel fits easily under your porch and is adequate for most yard watering needs.

Participants construct rainbarrel at workshop

Most summer storms in our area yield about 0.25 inches of rain, though some can locally drop more depending on the path of the storm. One or two rain barrels could easily catch and hold the runoff from most storms – that’s 40 gallons that won’t end up in the creek during a rain storm, and that you don’t have to pay for in your municipal water and sewage bill. To see how it all adds up, imagine if everyone on your street or neighborhood had a rain barrel or two, and see how quickly it adds up to thousands of gallons of water being held back from the creek in every storm, and how much is not being used from the municipal water supply.

INFO on upcoming rain barrel workshops in 2009