Catch it if you can: Rain barrel workshop coming to Sumter County

Published: August 16, 2012

SUMTER — Build a rain barrel and learn about “rain harvesting” at a workshop hosted by Carolina Clear, Clemson University’s stormwater pollution education program.

The workshop will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 4 at Sumter County Public Works Training Center, 1289 N. Main St. in Sumter.

The class costs $30 per person, and includes all materials to make one rain barrel per person. Rain barrels typically cost about $100. A guest or spouse may attend to assist a paying participant free of charge.

The class is limited to 20 participants and registration is required by Aug. 28.

To register, download the form and mail or deliver it and the payment to Sumter County Extension, 115 N. Harvin St., 5th Floor, Sumter, SC 29150. Make checks payable to Clemson University.

For more information, contact Mary Caflisch at 803-865-1216, ext. 122, or mnevins@clemson.edu.

The workshop is hosted jointly with Sumter County, the city of Sumter and Sumter Stormwater Solutions, and is sponsored by W.P. Law Inc. and Sonoco Recycling.

The class includes instruction on stormwater runoff and water pollution, rainwater harvesting with barrels and cisterns, and easy rain barrel construction and set up.

Rain barrels utilize an age-old concept of reusing rainwater to irrigate gardens and lawns, water plants and wash cars, among many other uses. A 1,000-square-foot roof catches more than 600 gallons of water from just an inch of rainfall.

Rain barrels are good for the environment because they reduce stormwater flow, which causes erosion and can carry pollutants from yards and streets into streams.

Sumter Stormwater Solutions is a regional collaboration involving the Carolina Clear program in partnership with communities and educators from universities, state agencies and nonprofits.

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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.