Wine and beer oak barrels repurposed for rain water

Local residents in the central and south coasts have seen a big push for rain barrels during six years of drought.

If you haven’t put one in your yard yet, we have a unique suggestion and if you move quickly, you might have it installed before the next rains come.

A keepsake from a local winery or brewery may be the perfect rain barrel for your yard.

“They fill up really quickly, you’d be surprised,” said Kira Redmond, executive director of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper. “Even on a house with a small roof and less than 1/4″ of rain they can fill up.”

The environmental non-profit has teamed up with local brewers and vinters to repurpose oak barrels once used to age beer and wine.

“Some of them still smell a little like wine or beer but the plants seem to like it,” Redmond said, with a laugh.

The barrels are about three feet high and hold 60 gallons of water. They’re priced at $100 dollars apiece and come with a do-it-yourself installation kit, complete with a drill bit and spigot. Simply attach one end to your roof’s downspout and the other to a hose or spigot at the bottom of the barrel.

“My husband actually did it but he said it was very easy,” said Toro Canyon resident Betty Noling. “So, you don’t have to a mechanical genius to do it.”

Noling said the barrel size is perfect for her small vegetable pots and the amount of water saved is noticeable.

“We are way below our quota in using water,” Noling said. “We have our hose attached to the spigot and I fill up a watering can and it’s easy to go around and water the plants that need the water … lettuce, tomatoes and those kinds of things.”

The rustic oaks are a pretty addition to most landscaping.

“Most rain barrels just look like plastic trash cans,” Redmond said.

Redmond said Channelkeeper borrowed the idea from Milwaukee Riverkeeper. The local barrels were either purchased at cost from or donated by Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Beckman Winery, Buttonwood Winery and Imagine Wine.

The oak barrels are heavy, roughly 200 pounds. Redmond said for an extra $20 Channelkeeper will deliver the rain barrel to the customer’s home.

“It makes you feel good to help a little bit, do a little bit of your share,” Noling said.

For more information, log onto Channelkeepers’ website at http://www.sbck.org/