CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (WVDEP) Watershed Improvement Branch and Project Water Education for Teachers (Project WET) is offering a free rain barrel installation for West Virginia schools.

The goal of the program is to teach students about stormwater pollution and how collecting rainwater helps to reduce the amount of pesticides, bacteria, and litter in our waterways. As rainwater is both free and contains trace minerals beneficial to plants, rain barrels are useful tools that help support gardens at schools.

The program offers hands-on installation of the rain barrel (including the rain barrel and parts kit) with student participation and will be paired with a one-hour Project WET water education session.

Schools with a current or planned flower and/or vegetable garden will be given priority. Installations are tentatively scheduled for the spring of 2020.

The WVDEP has a limited number of rain barrels available, so schools interested must complete the application on the agency’s Rain Barrel Program webpage and submit it by Friday, Nov. 1. Applications can be emailed to Klancey Burford at Klancey.M.Burford@wv.gov or mailed to:

Attn: Klancey Burford
WVDEP Division of Water and Waste Management
Watershed Improvement Branch
601 57th Street SE
Charleston, WV 25304