Water Conservation

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!

The Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service offers 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 teaches how to construct and install rain barrels. We also work with schools, homeowners associations and garden clubs.

The cost is $40 for the workshop, rain barrel and associated construction materials. It is free to attend only the workshop.

For more information on rain barrels, attending a Rain Barrel Workshop, or scheduling a Rain Barrel workshop at your event, please visit the Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service website.

Next workshop:
Saturday, February 11, 2012
10 a.m. to noon
Miami-Dade County Extension Office -- Annual Open House
18710 SW 288th Street
Homestead, FL
Register and RSVP by Feb. 9