‘Unprecedented’ demand for rain barrels in Calgary leads to shortage

As Calgarians prepare for possible water restrictions this summer, the city is facing a rain barrel shortage.

People lined up Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Dalhousie Co-op at a Green Calgary rain barrel sale.

The sale wasn’t scheduled to start until 10 a.m., but some people were there at 6 a.m. determined to go home with a much coveted barrel.

For those who came later, the hefty demand rained on their parade. They went away empty handed and on a waiting list.

“With the forecast for a drought and very little rain this summer, I thought I’ll do what I can and come get a rain barrel, but I was too late,” said Calgary resident Rowena Campbell, who added she’s now on a waiting list.

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“I would say the demand for rain barrels this year is unprecedented,” said Lex van der Raadt, executive director of Green Calgary.

Sale organizers had definitely anticipated an increase in demand, van der Raadt said. “But we didn’t anticipate as high of an increase as there is. I think a lot of that is that people are concerned about drought and we don’t know what water restrictions are going to look like.”

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Green Calgary said it will have some additional sales coming in May.

With no sign of sales drying up, van der Raadt said Green Calgary is working with the City of Calgary and has ordered barrels from Ontario for the first time.

“Ours need to be constructed so we do that throughout April, May, and June and that’s still ongoing,” van der Raadt explained.

“The city is helping us get extra raw product to construct them. Then we also have ones that are pre-constructed that are coming from another company that does bigger sales than we do and they’re going to bring them in from Ontario.”

The Green Calgary rain barrels have been used for food products that have been upcycled as rain barrels.

On Saturday, some old rain barrels got an extended life as people brought them in to the Dalhousie parking lot for repair.

“I don’t want to throw this in the landfill,” said Doug Borras, who was happy to get his 30-year-old rain barrel fixed.

The man doing the repair work on Saturday was Dirk Struck, who is better known as Calgary’s barrel man.

He’s been converting food grade barrels into rain barrels designed specifically to handle the prairie climate for 25 years, but he said he’s never been this busy repairing or supplying.

“Our forefathers have always done this, conserving water,” Struck said. “It’s really nice to see this. You can’t go wrong with water that comes from the sky.”

Green Calgary is hopeful that everyone who wants a rain barrel this year will get one.

“The city of Calgary is really dedicated to trying to make sure everyone who wants a barrel will get one by the end of June,” van der Raadt said.

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