Botetourt County community members learned about the benefits of rain barrels and built one to take home at a free workshop at Eagle Rock Branch Library. We love the photos workshop attendees shared with us of their painted rain barrels!
Rain barrels help households reduce their water footprints, prevent pollutants from entering local streams, while saving money on water bills along with providing clean water for home gardens.
Terra Famuliner, Environment and Resiliency Regional Planner for RVARC, co-hosted the event with partners at Mountain Castles Soil and Water Conservation District as part of regional education and outreach efforts for stormwater management.
For the workshop, Clean Valley Council provided tools, MCSWCD provided hardware (spigots, overflow adapters) and Coca Cola provided the barrels.
June 7 – 15 is Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week, raising awareness of the largest estuary in the United States and its ecosystem. The 2025 theme is “Bay in your Backyard” to highlight how communities connect to the larger watershed.
In our region, most of Botetourt County, Craig County, Alleghany County and part of Roanoke County is in the Chesapeake Bay. Learn more about RVARC’s work in stormwater management here on our website.
