Rain Barrel Workshop

You could have hundreds of gallons of free water simply by collecting it.

Join the City of Key West, the Monroe County Extension Service, and Key West Botanical Gardens at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 27^th for our rain barrel workshop. The workshop will be held at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, 5210 College Rd. as part the shared Earth Day/Arbor Day ECO Fair Celebration.

Attendees will learn where to get barrels, how to build one, tips for where to put it, how to decorate it, and how to hook them up together. Participants that pre-register via the City’s Preserve Island Life Facebook Page can buy, build, and bring home their own rain barrel that day.

During even a short half-inch rain, 1000 square feet of roof can yield approximately 300 gallons of water. By collecting and storing this rainwater, you benefit by having a source of free irrigation, car washing, or boat washing water during times of drought.

In addition, this stored rain water doesn’t contain chlorine, lime, or calcium. A rain barrel helps direct moisture away from building foundations. Storing rainwater also helps to reduce the amount of pollution running into our estuaries and ponds in the form of storm water runoff.   Using non potable water for non-potable uses saves money on both your water and sewer bills too!

Water Conservation Month is part of the City of Key West’s sustainability campaign, Preserve Island Life.