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(Conservation Currents,
Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, Spring
2007)
This spring, for the first time, low-cost build-your-own
rain barrel workshops were offered in Northern Virginia! Rain
barrels are containers that can be attached to downspouts to
collect rooftop runoff. A spigot on the barrel can be attached
to a standard garden hose so that conserved water can later
be used around the house in gardens, birdbaths or for household
chores.
In addition to conserving water, rain barrels
also help improve the quality of our water by slowing the flow
of stormwater, or the water that runs off of pavement and rooftops
when it rains. Stormwater is the leading source of pollution
in our local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. Stormwater picks
up pollutants as it flows across our paved surfaces. The fast-moving
water also causes erosion in our streams.
By storing and retaining stormwater, rain barrels
limit pollution-laden stormwater flows and the stream erosion
that contributes to sediment and nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake
Bay.
 Although
each rain barrel captures only a portion of the water that runs
off the typical rooftop during a storm event, they can be linked
together to capture more water. And the cumulative benefit of
many rain barrels throughout a region can also be significant.
(Cisterns, which are larger and often require professional installation,
also can store stormwater for re-use.)
The build-your-own rain barrel workshops in Fairfax
County and the surrounding jurisdictions this spring were modeled
after a program developed by Clean Virginia Waterways (CVW).
CVW is a Farmville-based non-profit associated with Longwood
University. Under the leadership of executive director Katie
Register, CVW and its partners have been hosting rain barrel
building workshops in central Virginia since 2004.
Katie started the rain barrel program after she
and her husband built one for their home and realized other
people would benefit from what they had learned. “I started
teaching rain barrel workshops as a concerned citizen, but quickly
realized the program was a natural fit for Clean Virginia Waterways.
Every workshop we’ve had has been sold out. People are
interested in water conservation and protecting water resources.
They want to be proactive.”
This spring a grant through the Chesapeake Bay
Restoration Fund, the fund established and maintained by Chesapeake
Bay license plate fees, enabled Katie to develop a rain barrel
building “train-the-trainer” curriculum. She started
taking her model for rain barrel building workshops to other
communities throughout the state.
 In March, NVSWCD worked with Arlington County
and the non-profit Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment to
bring Katie to Northern Virginia. Katie led two rain barrel
building workshop train-the-trainer sessions for environmental
professionals, agency staff, and citizen volunteers from Northern
Virginia. The response to these workshops was overwhelming!
Arlington County hosted the first Northern Virginia-based
rain barrel building workshops in late April. Additional workshops,
including seven in Fairfax County and one in the City of Alexandria
followed over the next several months. At the workshops, attendees
converted 50-gallon black plastic pickle barrels donated by
the Mount Olive Pickle Company in North Carolina into rain barrels.
By the end of the 2 ½ hour workshops, each
participant had learned about the environmental benefits of
rain barrels, had constructed their own rain barrel to take
home, and knew how to install and maintain it. A materials fee
of $35 per barrel was charged to cover shipping costs, tools,
and parts for the rain barrels, still much less than the approximately
$100 charged per rain barrel by retailers.
“This is such an exciting program and one
that has been overdue in coming to Northern Virginia,”
enthuses Kevin Munroe, the director of the Audubon Society of
Northern Virginia’s Audubon at Home program and a participant
in Katie’s March training. “The citizens I work
with want to make their landscapes more environmentally-friendly
and have been asking for low-cost rain barrels.” The Audubon
Society of Northern Virginia is one of several organizations
and agencies partnering with the district and the Arlington
County organizations to make the Northern Virginia rain barrel
building initiative successful.
The Fairfax County Public Schools are another
important partner. They hosted a free workshop for teachers
as well as several workshops for the public at their facilities,
and stored and transported the rain barrels to each Fairfax
County workshop site. The Fairfax County Park Authority, local
Master Gardeners, Fairfax County Department of Public Works
and Environmental Services, the Reston Association and the cities
of Alexandria and Falls Church also were involved providing
facilities, staff or volunteers for programs.
“It has been very helpful to be able to
learn from Clean Virginia Waterways’ experience and have
Katie as a resource,” confirms Aileen Winquist with Arlington
County. “Without her model, we might not have been able
to tackle what is a much needed and very valuable program.”
Learn more about
Fairfax County rain barrel workshops
Sign up to be notified about upcoming programs.
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