Below is some miscellaneous info on rain barrels gathered from Riverdale Park's TownTalk and Hyattsville HOPE email lists.
Somebody can tidy this up and organize it. Maybe some pics of nice local D-I-Y jobs! --Dwight


Pepsi in Cheverly sells their used 55 gallon drums that can be used to make your rain barrel.

Here's an EPA page on DIY rain barrels: http://www.epa.gov/region3/p2/make-rainbarrel.pdf

This Potomac group apparently has them made and sells them:
http://www.potomacriver.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50:rain-barrels&catid=34:restore-enhance-conserve-protect&Itemid=69


Here's the info for Pepsi. (I will tell you we have gone there the last two Fridays including this morning, only to be told "not today". The guy did say "definitely next week". We shall see!

Contact: Howard @ Pepsi, 301-341-2326
Fridays 6:30 am - 2 pm
first come first served
$10 per barrel
***must pay be check***
typically they have 50+ to start the day, gone by noon often

DIRECTIONS:

To get there go south on Kenilworth. Immediately after you go under the B/W Parkway you take the first left on Lydell. Don't bear left for the main entrance to Pepsi, instead bear very gentle right (really almost straight) to go towards the delivery entrance.

You go to the back (truck delivery) gate. That's where the barrels are distributed. They're very friendly and helpful, will help you a bit with the unloading (from their truck) to your vehicle.

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I meant also to add that the Anacostia Watershed Society has workshops on rain barrels and i think you get one of theirs free when you do the workshop:
http://www.anacostiaws.org/PDF/Events/AWSMay2009RBWorkshops.pdf

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I bought rain barrels last year from the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center
http://www.arlingtonecho.net/Restoration-Projects/Rain-Barrels.html

despite the "arlington", they are part of Anne Arundel's public school system and are really cool. the rain barrels are excellent quality. i paid $60 each for mine, not sure if the price has changed, but this was the least expensive option i found. I also got a pepsi barrel to add on, and attempted to make it a rain barrel myself. Unfortunately my poor drilling skills cause it to leak....the arlington echo ones are already constructed when you buy them, just need to screw in the attachments, so are easy to assemble and dont leak.
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