Update Nov. 13: Rain barrels: Los Angeles 'sold out' until January, but you can buy one with a $100 rebate.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Thursday that while the 1,000 free rain barrels made available Monday have long since "sold out," 400 more will be made available in January and there will be a $100 rebate if you buy your own.
The mayor's office says that the rebate should cover most if not all of the cost of getting your own rain barrel; it's also up from the $75 rebate previously offered.
Update Nov. 11: KPCC just posted a guide on how to get a cheap rain barrel if you weren't lucky enough to score one of the free ones being given away by the city of Los Angeles.
Check out our guide to finding or making your own cheap rain barrel, then let us know how you did!
Previously: City of Los Angeles residents looking for ways to decrease their water bill have an opportunity to pick up a free rain barrel that can be used to irrigate plants.
The barrels, donated by the Coca-Cola company, were formerly used to collect soda syrup. In the yards of city residents, however, these 1,000 45- and 55-gallon barrels would preserve rain water for later use. According to a press release by the Keep Los Angeles Beautiful campaign, the amount of rain water collected from an average-sized home during an average L.A. rain year would total 9,600 gallons. Rain, of course, has been rarer in recent years, but the barrels are being offered as a partial solution to the city's constant water shortage in the coming years.
To get your own barrel — and yes, it's limited to one per residence — residents would need to attend a "rain harvesting" workshop to learn about proper rain barrel installation and use. As of now, the following workshops are scheduled:
- November 15 at Valley College in Valley Glen
- November 22 at Harbor College in Los Angeles
- L.A. City College in Los Angeles
All three sessions will have 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. workshops. Preregistration is required. Click on the links above to RSVP. Click here for further information.