Rain Barrel Workshop Scheduled for June 20 at Honey Haven Farm

With warmer temperatures, hearts and minds start to turn to lawns, gardens and flower beds. But with those landscaping activities, nearly 40 percent of total household water use during the summer goes to watering lawns and gardens. One way to reduce that water consumption is through the use of rain barrels.

That’s why Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District has teamed up with Honey Haven Farm to offer a Rain Barrel Workshop to the community on Saturday, June 20. Participants will build their own rain barrel to take home and install for their own use. 

“Rain barrels capture water from your rooftop and store the water for later use,” said Becca Vales, urban and education specialist at Ashland SWCD. Vales was recently hired to implement an urban agriculture grant awarded to Ashland SWCD from the National Association of Conservation Districts. “The water can be used for your lawn, gardens, indoor plants, or maybe even for washing your car.”

The workshop will be conducted by Valerie Smith or Honey Haven Farm. limited to 20 participants, with 10 spots available from 9 am until noon and 10 more spots available from 1-4 p.m. Registration is $45 per spot, and includes all the materials needed to make a rain barrel.

Vales says rain barrels have many benefits for homeowners. IN fact, a rain barrel will save most homeowners about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months.

“Rain barrels help reduce the flow of water leaving your property from your downspouts,” said Vales. “It can help to reduce the amount of surface runoff water that picks up pollutants like pesticides, oil and fertilizer, and that helps keep those pollutants out of our waterways and rivers.”

In addition to the June rain barrel workshop, through her work at Ashland SWCD, Vales is working to bring a new event to both Ashland and Loudonville this summer: Rain Beat on Main Street. Ashland SWCD is seeking donations from local businesses to sponsor rain barrels for the event, which will take place in Loudonville from July 30 to August 11 and in Ashland from August 13-22. 

Sponsored rain barrels will be painted by local artists and displayed in the downtown areas in an effort to improve stormwater awareness. At the end of the event in Ashland, the decorated rain barrels will be available to purchase via auction.

“The funds earned from the auction will be used to fund more stormwater management events in Ashland County,” Vales said. “We’re still looking for both sponsors and local artists, so we encourage interested businesses or community groups to reach out to our office.”

Vales hopes these rain barrel events will help improve water quality in not only Ashland’s urban areas, but also in the county’s waterways as a whole—waterways that are huge economic engines bringing tourism dollars to the area as they enjoy the Mohican River and  its tributaries.

To purchase tickets for the June 20 Rain Barrel Workshop, call 419-281-7645 or purchase a ticket through Ashland SWCD’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AshlandSWCD

Becca Vales

As Ashland SWCD’s urban & education specialist, Becca’s position is funded through a grant from the National Association of Conservation Districts to provide urban agriculture education and increase access to local food sources. Part of that emphasis includes providing education on stormwater management.