NJ WATERSAVERS

Build a Rain Barrel Workshop

Build a Rain Barrel Workshops are an excellent way to engage local residents to take action to conserve water.  These workshops should be conducted by individuals trained to teach participants about stormwater management techniques, the importance of conserving water, and how to build and install a rain barrel.  Workshop participants retrofit food grade barrels into rain barrels as part of the workshop.  It will be necessary to identify partner(s) willing to sponsor and host these workshops.


Ewing Township Build a Rain Barrel Workshop March 2011


Holmdel Build a Rain Barrel Workshop June 2010

The individuals conducting the program should provide all materials needed to carry out the rain barrel building exercise.  This will include: barrels, hardware kits, battery powered drills, 1″ hole saws, safety glasses, caulk, Teflon tape, scissors, flashlights and pliers. A table or two to set up stations for these materials should be available at workshops. The partner(s) sponsoring the workshop should be assigned the responsibility of selecting a venue.  The facility should be large enough to hold thirty people, plus thirty to forty rain barrels, which are approximately 36″x 25″.

Some of the building materials used at Build a Rain Barrel Workshops

The individuals conducting the workshop should bring the necessary equipment to do a thirty minute PowerPoint presentation.  Be sure to ask the workshop partner to provide a screen or wall large enough to project the slides on.  After the PowerPoint presentation, construction of the barrels should commence, which takes around fifteen to thirty minutes.  This requires a large indoor or outdoor space.

Sussex County Build a Rain Barrel Workshop May 2011

Mercer County Build a Rain Barrel Workshop May 2011

To cover the costs involved with organizing such a program, individuals conducting the workshop will need to determine an appropriate fee for workshop delivery and the cost per barrel.  These fees should cover the time and labor involved in handling registration, providing a flyer for advertisement of the event, costs encountered to prepare the barrels for the workshop, tools and materials used to build the barrels at the workshop, delivery of the barrels to the venue, and the time presenting and organizing the workshop.

Build a Rain Barrel Workshops are always a fun experience, and a great way to have community members work together to help protect their local waterways!

Hillsborough Build a Rain Barrel Workshop June 2011

Municipalities Should Create the Following Materials to Help Coordinate and Promote a Build a Rain Barrel Workshop:

  • Partnership Agreement - This should clearly layout the obligations of both the individuals conducting the workshop, and the sponsoring partner(s).

  • Marketing Flyer

  • Press Release

  • Online Registration

Important Precautions to Take with a Rain Barrel:

  • Prevent mosquito breeding by always having a screen secured on the top of the barrel and by adding either Mosquito Dunks or a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil to prevent the growth of larvae.

  • Be sure to install the barrel on a level platform. When full of water, the barrel will weigh approximately 450 pounds.

  • Label the barrel with a sign “Non-Potable Water” or “Do Not Drink Water.”

  • Bring the barrel indoors in the winter or drain it and turn it upside down to prevent the barrel from cracking. Make sure to reconnect the portion of the downspout that was cutoff or add a flexi spout after disconnecting the barrel.

Resources:

Slide Sets

Fact Sheets

Special Topics

The Partners