Spring Rain Barrel Workshop Series Begins

April 1, 2019

The rain barrel workshop held at the Virginia Museum of Natural History this past week was a success with over ten barrels going out to participants from Patrick County, Henry County, and Martinsville.  The Dan River Basin Association partners with River Network, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc., and the Rain Barrel Depot to provide these workshops throughout the basin.

Lawn and garden watering can account for more than 40 percent of total household water use during the summer, says Krista Hodges with the Dan River Basin Association.
Part of the association’s mission is to promote water conversation, and one way it hopes to do this is to teach people how to construct their own rain barrels.

“A 55-gallon rain barrel can save most homeowners 1,300 gallons of water each year,” Hodges says.
 
A rain barrel is a container that collects and stores rainwater that can be used when needed, such as in the dry summer months.  “You can use rainwater to water your lawn or garden and even to wash your car, and you conserve water and benefit your plants and garden,” Hodges says.

The association’s next rain-barrel workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 25th at the Ballou Recreation Center in Danville. For $50, the workshop includes a 55-gallon barrel, all supplies, instruction and guide. Space is limited, so you must prepay and pre-register to attend the workshop.  Barrels will not be painted during the workshop, but participants are encouraged to paint their barrels at home and send pictures to DRBA!

The April and May workshops are sponsored by Carter Bank and Trust. To pre-register for the workshop, visit https://www.danriver.org/support-drba/shop/shop-our-products.

Debbi Bryant with the Virginia Museum of Natural History attended one of the workshops last spring to make her second rain barrel, this one for her mountain home, and she hopes to attend a spring workshop to make a third one. “While it does help my plants outside, I mainly use (the first barrel) to help conserve water and be a part of saving the planet,” Bryant says. “While it is easier to grab the garden hose, I find that the rainwater is actually better for the plants since it doesn’t have the added chemicals.”

The workshops will be led by Hodges and Brian Williams, the program manager for the Dan River Basin Association, both of whom have previously attended River Network conferences about the use of rain barrels.

The April workshop will be held at the Danville City Parks and Recreation's Ballou Recreation Center.  Danville City Parks and Recreation are co-sponsors for the April workshop.  For people unable to make the April workshop, one more will be held in May in Greensboro, NC at Guildford Technical Community College. 

“We generally have about a fifteen participants at each workshop but hope to bring that number up to 20 at this year’s workshops,” Hodges says.

For questions, please contact Krista Hodges, Education Manager at khodges@danriver.org.