A Build-Your-Own Rain Barrel Workshop will be offered on Monday, April 20, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Bibbens Ace Hardware, 713 West Lakeshore Drive in Colchester.

The cost is $30 (payable by cash or check at the workshop), which covers all supplies and instruction to make and install a 55-gallon rain barrel. Although there's a limit of one barrel per household, couples or families may work on the project together.

Preregistration is required. If interested, contact Pam Loranger at 846-7313 or pamforcolchester@gmail.com. If registering by e-mail, please put "Rain Barrel Workshop Registration" in the subject line. Space is limited to the first 15 people to sign up, so early registration is advised.

The workshop is sponsored by the Colchester Conservation Commission in collaboration with the Colchester Department of Public Works. In addition to constructing a rain barrel to take home, participants will learn how capturing rainwater to use in landscapes and gardens will help save money, conserve water and reduce runoff of stormwater into nearby streams and rivers.