One way several communities have helped promote conservation among their residents is participation in the Utah Rivers Council’s RainHarvest rain barrel program.

During a virtual press conference to announce the 2025 distribution of rain barrels, Amy Wicks, Northern Utah program manager for the Utah Rivers Council, announced that 16 municipalities along the Wasatch Front will be participating this year.

“We have these great city partners who have committed to provide a subsidy for rain barrels for residents in their communities,” she said. “The rain barrels would normally retail for $155. … They’re a great product, and with the subsidy provided by the cities, we’re able to offer those for the affordable price of $57 to residents (of participating communities).”

During Tuesday’s press conference, officials from several of those municipalities spoke about their participation in and experience with the program.

Among those participating communities is Ogden.

Ogden City Sustainability Coordinator Lorenzo Long said the program goes beyond giving residents an opportunity to collect rainwater.

“We kind of see the rain barrel program as more than just a way to conserve water,” he said. “We also see it as a way to provide a hands-on educational opportunity for our residents, and then they can see that by collecting rainwater, a simple change can make a real impact. And, as more of our residents continue to participate in the program year over year, those collective water savings continue to grow, so the impact of the program continues to grow.”

He added that he’s witnessed participation in the program inspiring additional change in people.

“Often times, one small action like getting a rain barrel can lead to additional small actions by our residents,” he said. “They’ll adjust their watering habits or they’ll plant drought-tolerant landscaping or they’ll be more mindful of pollution or things like that.”

Speaking from his own personal experiences, Lehi City Sustainability Director Todd Munger said the program has had the same effect in Lehi.

“The opportunity to participate really helps residents understand the need to conserve water,” he said. “Every time you walk by that rain barrel — when I do anyway with my rain barrels — it immediately connotes that I have to do better with my water conservation. I think that’s the biggest selling point for me and for Lehi.”

Weber County Community Development Department Director Sean Wilkinson said this is Weber County’s third year participating in the program.

“We’ve seen participation increase every year, which is exciting,” he said. “Weber County has a rich agricultural history and I think our residents understand the importance of water and the role it plays, not only in our lives but, in some cases, in peoples’ livelihoods — some of our farmers. And we believe that our residents are trying to conserve water. We’ve seen a lot of interest in the Flip the Strip programs and in other water-wise landscaping going in in some of our new developments.”

Final details are being worked out on locations for rain barrel distribution events, but events are currently scheduled on the Rain Water Solutions website for Utah County (May 7, 4 to 6 p.m.), Weber County (May 9, 4 to 6 p.m.), Salt Lake County (May 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Summit County (May 11, noon to 2 p.m.). Wicks said more details will be released in the near future.

For more information, visit https://utahrivers.org/rainharvest.