Rain Barrel Training at FREC

November 11, 2013 was a very anticipated day-- I learned how to create a rain barrel! The training was held at the Forest Resource Education Center in Jackson, NJ (Monmouth County) with NJDEP employee Katie Barnett. The entire group of 20 ambassadors were in attendance along with our NJWAP program managers from NJDEP-- Kathy, Kim Cenno, and Jen Noblejas. Though it was a dreary day, I was excited to use my hands!

As explained earlier, a rain barrel is a water tank that stores stormwater runoff from roofs through gutters. While you can purchase a rain barrel, creating one is a great way to reuse a barrel that was previously utilized for oil, fruit juice, etc. and reduce the planet's waste-- this is a concept related to "closing the loop."

I was eager to use the tools necessary to build my rain barrel. Here is a list of equipment necessary to build a proper rain barrel:

• 1 large plastic barrel 
• The larger it is, the more water you can collect!
• 50 gal is a good start
• 1 tube of watertight sealant or roll of Teflon tape for plumbing
• 2 rubber washers
• 2 metal washers
• 1 hose clamp
• 1 spigot
• A drill
• Landscaping fabric 
• Mosquito dunk (to prevent infestation-- this is standing water after all!)
• Paints (if you would like to decorate the outside)

This is a good video of the building process and some reasons for getting a rain barrel:

I have mentioned what a rain barrel is used for, and how it is a green infrastructure BMP, but why should you put in the effort of buying or making one?

• Rainwater can be used to water your plants and garden (and is better than tap)
• Reduce stormwater runoff by disconnecting your gutters from directly rushing into storm drains
• Reduce pollutants from entering waterways through stormwater runoff
• Conserve water!

This is the EPA's Rain Barrels website; feel free to browse the articles to find out more about the benefits of rain barrels and how to customize them for any house and season!

"So what?" you may be thinking, "I have a small roof, so is it worth it?" YES, IT IS! Here is the Rutgers NJAES Rain Barrels website-- in addition to general rain barrel info, there are listings for rain barrel workshops in NJ through Rutgers NJAES. Here is a quote to answer this question:

For an 800 square foot roof area that is being drained into one downspout gutter, 500 gallons of water will come off your roof in an one-inch rain storm ( about 80% of rain events are up to one-inch).  If your entire neighborhood installs a rain barrel, it may have an impact on flooding and water pollution within your community.

Interesting, right? Even our small changes can add up to large impacts in our community if we can get the people behind an issue as important as our water! 

All in all, the training was excellent-- Katie is an informed environmentalist! Though it was raining (suitable, don't you think?), I have a great time constructing rain barrels with the other ambassadors. They were later utilized in another NJDEP project! 

If you are interested in hosting a rain barrel workshop or would like to attend one, please contact me at ambassador@passaiccountynj.org or call my office at 973-569-4055. Together, we can help improve our water issues!