SALISBURY — It was day three of Rowan Creek Week, and as the rain fell, a group gathered at West End Community Park to hear a presentation on harvesting rainwater and learn about building rain barrels.

Ashley Honbarrier, co-founder and director of Happy Roots nonprofit organization, and her husband Aaron Burleson conducted the workshop Sept. 16 at 11 a.m. in the park.

Honbarrier started off the event, with approximately 17 people gathered under the picnic shelter, by sharing some benefits of harvesting rainwater.

These included the fact that it can reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that flows into streets and waterways; it can help households save up to 50 percent of their annual water consumption, according to a 2009 report from the US EPA; it can make homeowners less dependent on external water sources and better prepared for emergencies; and it is naturally soft and contains no chemicals or minerals, making it a safer choice for watering plants than tap water.

Both Honbarrier and Burleson addressed the importance of what to use when making rain barrels, saying that they can be constructed from smaller buckets, oak barrels or garbage cans, but they recommended that the containers be food-grade quality.

There are “certain barrels you do not want to buy,” because of chemicals, Burleson said. “You really need to research that because there are all kinds of barrels out there that you do not want even watering your plants.”

Another important factor when choosing the barrel you use to collect rainwater is it “should be as opaque as possible. You don’t want to be able to see through it,” he said, noting that mold will grow on the inside if the sunlight gets to it and it will take more time keeping it clean.

Safety features of a rain barrel were shared as both Honbarrier and Burleson said the barrels should be placed on something like cinder blocks or tires thus making it more accessible to get the water out.

Safety issues of making sure the barrel is secure so children cannot climb in and the barrel cannot fall over were also stressed. 

When showing the barrels, Burleson pointed out the two different systems, an open system and a closed system.

With the open system, the entire top is cut out. With the closed, a four-inch hole was cut allowing room for the guttering to be placed in the hole and rain collected from the roof.

With both systems, he noted the importance of always using a screen. He recommended at least a bug grade screen to cover the opening so it doesn’t become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Burleson pointed out that if you just think about the roof and where the water is coming from and what’s there, he recommends the screening to get rid of all that debris that comes from there.

Because of the debris that washes off roofs, he said, “I recommend you don’t wash your vegetables with the water drawn from the barrels,” he said.

Additional steps to constructing a rain barrel included drilling a hole for the spigot, which he suggested should be placed at least a few inches off the bottom.

“Many want to put it at the very bottom, but it’s going to be very hard to get your water out if you don’t have it up on something,” Burleson said.

He also showed the process of an overflow mechanism when the barrel is full to run it to other barrels or divert it back into the guttering.

When placing the spigot or diverter into the barrels, he said he usually uses teflon tape or silicon, but did encourage the audience to use silicon made for outside, noting that what he had is freeze and sunproof.

“Others are out there that will crack after one season and your barrels will leak,” Burleson said.

Safety equipment as well as what is needed to cut the plastic were also discussed and a time for questions was provided at the end of the presentation.

“With rain barrels you can go as big and extravagant as you want or you can just buy a $10 barrel and make it yourself in any fashion,” said Burleson. “Go with what works for you.”

“It was a nice day, and despite the rain, people came out, and I think it was a great event,” said Honbarrier. “We’ve been without rain for a little while so it’s nice. So glad to see the rain.”

As one participant noted, what better topic to cover on a day such as this.

For information about additional events taking place during Rowan Creek Week, visit rowancreekweek.org.