RAIN BARREL WORKSHOPS

Since 2020, we have enabled our communities to capture and reuse 9,000 gallons of rain water!

It’s time to winterize your rain barrel!

Before winter comes, take some steps to prepare your barrel for the weather. If possible, move your barrel into a garage or shed for the winter. If you can’t, here are some steps you can take to prepare for winter:

Empty the barrel of water. We recommend leaving 1/3 or less water - enough to add some weight so it doesn’t blow away in a wind storm, but enough empty space that the water can expand without filling and damaging the barrel when it freezes
Detach the hose connecting the barrel to your gutter. This will keep your barrel from refilling during snow/thaw events.
Make sure the spigot isn’t under an eave or area where water can drip and ice it up - it will break. You can also remove the spigot altogether, though this will lower the water level in the barrel. You may have to put something on top of it or tie it down to keep it from blowing away in the wind.

Next workshop: spring 2027. Details to come!

What’s a rain barrel workshop?

The Sun River Watershed Group’s rain barrel workshops provide a barrel, hardware, and decorating supplies so you can build and customize a barrel to start collecting rain at home. Workshops are hosted in towns across our watershed. For 2026, the event will be in Great Falls. If you know of a good location in the Sun River watershed for a workshop, please notify tracy@sunriverwatershed.org.

Why use a rain barrel?

By collecting rain water instead of using your garden hose, you help:

Reduce strain on municipal water supplies
Reduce the flows of rain water over lawns and hard surfaces, where it picks up pollutants that could wind up in our rivers and streams
Save money on your water bill
They look nice!

SRWG thanks Coca-Cola High Country Distributing for donating barrels for our events.