Build your own rain barrel at Lexington County workshop

Published: May 10, 2011

Lexington Countywide Stormwater Consortium image by: Lexington Countywide Stormwater Consortium

LEXINGTON — Build a rain barrel to take home and learn how to save water, money and reduce stormwater pollution at a hands-on workshop May 21 at the Lexington Fire Training Facility.

The class will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at 436 Ball Park Road in Lexington.

The class costs $20 per person and includes all rain barrel materials. The class is limited to 30 participants.

To register, send a check payable to Clemson University or pay in person at the Lexington County Extension office, 605 W. Main St., Suite 109, Lexington, S.C. 29072. Call 803-359-8515, ext. 413, for more information.

Click here to download a registration form (pdf).

The workshop includes presentations on water pollution, rain harvesting and rain barrel function, design and construction. Participants will build their own rain barrels to take home and use. 

The workshop is hosted by the Lexington Countywide Stormwater Consortium, the regional partner of Clemson University’s Carolina Clear stormwater education and awareness program, and is supported by W.P. Law Inc.

Rain barrels utilize an age-old concept of reusing rainwater to irrigate gardens and lawns, water plants and wash cars, among other uses. 

A 1,000-square-foot roof catches more than 600 gallons of water from just an inch of rainfall. Rain barrels also are good for the environment because they reduce stormwater flow, which causes erosion and can carry pollutants from yards and streets into streams.

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Carolina Clear
Carolina Clear is a stormwater education and awareness program of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and the Center for Watershed Excellence. The program’s goal is to minimize polluted stormwater runoff by educating the general public, youth, builders, developers, homeowners and government officials about how they can keep water in the state’s streams, rivers and basins as clean as possible. 

Lexington Countywide Stormwater Consortium
The consortium strives to enhance water quality through education, involvement and outreach, and by fostering partnerships with local governments, citizens, businesses and organizations to support healthy, fishable and swimmable waterways. Communities involved in the Consortium are Lexington County, Cayce, Irmo, Pine Ridge, South Congaree, Springdale, Lexington and West Columbia.