Environment
Rain barrels
Florida receives an average of 52 inches of rainfall per year. Most of this water washes over lawns and pavement carrying fertilizers and other chemicals into local waterways. An inch of rainfall over a one thousand square-foot area yields in excess of 600 gallons of water. A rain barrel is an inexpensive means of capturing and storing some of this water for later use. By installing a rain barrel you'll not only help reduce pollution, but you'll also have a supply of free non-chlorinated soft water for irrigating your landscape!
Rain Barrel Workshops
The Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service is offering a series of Rain Barrel Workshops. These workshops give the residents of Miami-Dade County an opportunity to learn about important water conservation issues and teach them how to construct and install their very own rain barrel. All barrels are refurbished food-grade drums. They are used to ship food products only. Size and color varies based on availability. Generally, the volume is 55 gallons. Please note that we no control over what size, color, or style (open or closed top) drums will be available.
Registration for the rainbarrel workshop (with barrel) includes:
1 55-60 gal. food grade drum
1 hose bib
workshop materials
*It may be necessary to purchase additional materials in order to instal the rain barrel at your home.
To register call Lize at (305)248-3311 x 242
You can register for the next workshop by downloading and completing the registration form below and mailing it to the Extension Office in Homestead with your check or money order. Please be aware that these classes can fill quickly, and you must pre-register and prepay. Due to storage and transport considerations, I can only provide a limited number of barrels per workshop. Registration is based on a first come, first served basis. We are also willing to hold on-site rain barrel workshops for homeowners associations, garden clubs, etc. If your group is interested please contact Barbara McAdam at (305)248-3311 x 245
Registration Fees
Workshop and barrel: $45
Additional barrels: $40 each
Workshop without barrel: $10
Guests may attend for free, but must pay if they would like workshop materials
Payment must be made in the form of personal check or money order. We can not accept cash or credit cards.
Please note that Miami-Dade Cooperative Extension does not sell rain barrels. Rain barrels are made available only to individuals who attend educational workshops. Retail barrel suppliers can be found by looking under the listings for "Barrels & Drums" in your local yellow pages.
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Resources
Advantages of a
rain barrel
Cisterns for water collection
How to build a rain barrel
American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
workshop presentation
(
2.8 Mb)
Making a Rain barrel video
High Speed Connections
Build & Instal (17 MB)
Use & source (14 MB)
Dial Up Connections
Build & Instal (2 MB)
Use & source (1.5 MB)