Catching RainOne Barrel at a Time

Dr. Dotty WoodsonExtension Program SpecialistWater ResourcesTexas AgriLife Research and Extension Urban Solutions CenterDallas, TX

Texas AgriLife Research and Extension

• Part of the Texas A&M University System

• TAMU is part of the Land Grant System

• Extension is the Largest Adult Continuing Education Provider in Texas

• Office in Every County• 12 Research and

Extension Centers

Texas AgriLife Research and Extension

• State Rainwater Harvesting Team

• Local Water Team• Master Gardener

Specialist Program• American Rainwater

Catchment System Association

• Texas Rain Catchment System Association

Why Rain Barrels

• Water Conservation• Water Quality• Stormwater Control

Barrels

• Recycled food grade containers

• 55 gallons• Stackable• Non-stackable

Cost of Classes

• Barrel• Hose Bib• Adapter• Caulk• Insect Netting• Drills

– Spade Bit– Hole Saw

• Transportation

Texas AgriLife Research and ExtensionCollaboration with Cities

• Extension Provides:– Program Specialist– MG Volunteers– Barrels– All other Supplies– Fact Sheets– Invoice

• Cities Provides:– Scheduling– Marketing– Registration– Assistance– Location– Cleanup

City/County Departments

• Water Conservation• Public Works• Parks• Stormwater

Teaching Method

• Lecture• Power point• Demonstration• Hands-on Making the

Rain Barrel– Indoors– Outdoors

Cities/ Counties

• Tarrant County• Allen• Garland• Mesquite• Arlington• Denton

Instructor and Assistants

• City Personnel• Water District Personnel• Extension Educators• Master Gardener Specialist – Rainwater Harvesting

Making a Rain Barrel

• Drill Hole for Hose Bib• 1” or 15/16” spade bit

for ¾” faucet • ¾” spade bit for ½”

faucet

Making a Rain Barrel

• Caulk Faucet Threads• Screw Faucet into Barrel• Hold in Place with PVC Adapter

Making a Rain Barrel

• Drill Hole in Lid or Top with 6” Hole Saw

Making a Rain Barrel

• Cover Hole with Insect Netting

Making a Rain Barrel

• Decorate Barrel• Downspout• Landscape• Drip Tubing

Attach to Downspout

• Many choices at hardware stores

• Professional gutter installers

Challenges

• Finding a reliable source for barrels

• Transportation• Storage• Cleaning• Class Location

Barrel Sources

• Barrel Vendor• Food Production

Companies• Feed Stores• Cleaning Contractors

Transporting Barrels

• Truck• Trailer• Weight• Time• Storage

Storage

• Before Class• At Class

Cleaning Barrels

• Provider• Storage• Power Washer• Car Wash

Class Location

• Flooring– Carpeting

• Elevators• Stairs

Demonstrations

Demonstrations

Success StoryBarrels, Barrels and More Barrels

• 700 barrels• 38,500 gallons/rain

event• 1,232,000 gallons/year

Success Story Evaluations

• 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the activity.• 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the information being what they

expected. • 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the information being accurate.• 94% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the information being easy to

understand.• 94% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the completeness of information given

on each topic.• 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the timeliness of information given on

each topic. • 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the helpfulness of the information in

decisions about your own situation.• 94% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the quality of course materials.• 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the relevance of the examples used.• 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the instructor’s knowledge level on

the subject.• 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the instructor’s speaking /

presentation abilities. • 100% of respondents were mostly or completely satisfied with the instructor’s organization /

preparedness.• 100% of respondents plan to take actions or make changes based on the information from this

activity.• 92% of respondents anticipate benefiting economically as a direct result of what they learned from

this Extension activity.

Success StoryTestimonials

• Great class• Best class I ever had• Everything was great• I will be making more of these• Thanks for the great information• ‘On behalf of Shelley Franklin and myself, I am writing to let you know

what an outstanding job Dotty Woodson has done at both the Garland (March 14th) and Mesquite (April 25th). These classes have exceeded both my and Shelley’s expectations and it is so rewarding to see that every evaluation form filled out by the participants have all indicated that the class has “completely” met their expectations.  What I have appreciated most about the classes is the response from the participants who not only thanked Dotty for the excellent teaching as they left, but have thanked me for providing these classes and have commented that they would gladly attend another class taught by Dotty.  As the Water Conservation Coordinator in my city, it is very satisfying to know that we are meeting a need in our community for these types of educational opportunities to teach our residents about the importance of water conservation.’

Resources• http://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/• http://txsmartscape.com• http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/• http://urbanlandscapeguide.tamu.edu/• http://www.trwd.com/• http://texaset.tamu.edu/• http://turf.tamu.edu/• http://irrigation.tamu.edu/• http://earthkindroses.tamu.edu/• http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/

index.html• http://dallas.tamu.edu/

For More InformationDotty WoodsonExtension Program Specialist- Water ResourcesTexas AgriLife Research and Extension17360 Coit RoadDallas, Texas 75252972-952-9688D-woodson@tamu.edu