WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Tuesday, February 9, the city of West Hollywood announced they will join cities like Beverly Hills and Culver City in an upcoming Water Quality and Conservation Workshop and Rain Barrel Distribution event. The workshop will be held on Saturday, February 20 at Plummer Park located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, in Rooms 5 and 6. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and will be hosted by a coalition of the Westside Cities and Rain Barrels International.

According to a press release from Joshua Schare, Public Information Officer for the City of West Hollywood, residents are asked to pre-order rain barrels and attend the free workshop. The workshop is open to residents of West Hollywood within ZIP codes 90038, 90046, 90048 and 90069, as well as residents of Beverly Hills and Culver City.

Rain Barrels must be pre-ordered in advance and workshop attendance is mandatory to receive substantial rain-barrel rebates for water providers. The pre-order deadline is Thursday, February 18. Registration information and details can be found at www.WeHoRainBarrels.EventBrite.com.

Rain barrels are available in black or terra-cotta color, and are $85 each. Upon receiving the rain barrels, workshop participants may visit the SoCal Water$mart Rebate Program website at www.SoCalWaterSmart.com to apply for a rebate of $75 to $100 per barrel, depending upon residential water provider. The maximum cost of each barrel will only be $10, after rebates.

Participants who attend the workshop can pre-order up to four rain barrels. Each barrel is comprised of food-grade recycled plastic and is 39 inches tall and 23 inches in diameter. Each barrel has a 55-gallon capacity. There will be a 3/4-inch brass spigot to attach a garden hose and there is a side brass overflow with a cap. A four-foot tight steel mesh screen prevents mosquitos and other bugs from accessing the water.

Regions of California are impacted by scarce supplies of water, but drought conditions in Los Angeles County are severe. The area has experienced one of the lowest amounts of rainfall on record. In the past three years, West Hollywood has increased its efforts to use less water and promote conservation. El Nino conditions with intense rains will not end the drought the state has experienced. The rain barrels will help collect rainwater for lawns and gardens and help reduce water bills during the sunny months. The rainwater is better for plants and the soil, and is highly oxygenated, and void of salts and minerals found in tap water that can possibly harm plant roots.

Obtaining rainwater that comes from the roofs decreases the amount of storm water that can flow into local waterways and keep urban pollutants away from the Pacific Ocean and reduce water needs to conserve energy that is need to transport water to Southern California.

To pre-register for the Water Quality and Conservation Workshop and Rain Barrel Distribution event, visit www.WeHoRainBarrels.EventBrite.com and follow the instructions to purchase rain barrels. For additional information, please call (562) 944-4766.

For additional information about water conservation in the City of West Hollywood, please visit www.weho.org/waterconservation.