Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Club Gets Instructions On Installing A Rain Barrel
— A rain barrel provides a way to harvest rain to water plants and at the same time it helps to keep soil in place, according to Jane Maginof, an extension agent with the Washington County office of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Maginof and Extension Agent Colin Massey recently met with the Farmington Garden Club to show them how to build and install their own rain barrels.
Maginof is a water quality agent and deals with urban storm water. Even though Farmington is not as big as Fayetteville and Springdale, it still is considered an urbanized area, she said.
A rain barrel captures storm water from rooftops, Maginof said. Some of the benefits of a barrel include saving money on city water bills, reducing storm water runoff volume and reducing the use of treated water for home irrigation.
Maginof said rain barrels already made can be bought for as much as $75-$100. A person can make their own for about $35 in parts.
Hogeye Pallet in Fayetteville has 55-gallon barrels for sale for $25. Maginof said the barrel must be food-grade plastic so that there are not any chemicals in it.
Other parts needed for the project include plastic or brass spigot, a pipe to garden hose connector, window screen and bricks or cement blocks to place under the barrel. Tools required include a jigsaw or reciprocating saw, drill, staple gun, and one-inch drill bit.
The Extension Office has a four-page instruction booklet that gives all directions on how to make a rain barrel. These can be picked up at the extension office, 2536 N. McConnell Ave., in Fayetteville or by going to the website, uaex.edu/ counties/washington.
The Garden Club meets monthly and has different topics of interest. The Club also is involved in several projects. Members maintain a landscaped area at Creekside Park, have planted flowers in pots at Farmington schools and help with other community events.