By CHERYL KLINKER

Old is new: During the course of getting new gutters for my house, the vendor I decided to use suggested a special connection that could be inserted into my new downspouts for taking roof run-off to a rain barrel. He even had a name of a source for rain barrels! I think back to when I was young and my grandparents and all their neighbors had rain barrels. It seemed unbelievable that within my lifetime we were going back to this old fashioned method of detention and water conservation.

Demand and supply: I asked the vendor's representative, "Do you install many of these?" He said that within the last year there had been so many requests for these they now offered them as a matter of course, and that the manufacturers of rain barrels in the area can scarcely keep up with the demand.

New is new: Rain barrels apparently have become quite sophisticated, consistent with our high-tech age. They now have a feature that directs the roof run-off to continue flowing on past the rain barrel connection when the barrel gets full, and then continue on down through the downspout and into your drainage system.

Costs a barrel: Of course, the good old days of inexpensive rain barrels are also over. They can cost anywhere from $25 to $80. If you get them, be sure to check which way your gutters slope, so you can choose the location for your barrel that will get the maximum amount of run-off.

Visit infomart or midwestinternet or therainbarrel.com to order yours today. Or check dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/Pl/rainbarrels to find out how you can assemble your own.

A rain vendor is also scheduled to meet with the public at a Plant Exchange event at Meadowbrook Community Center, 10515 35th Ave. NE, on Saturday, Oct. 13, from noon to 3 p.m. The event is a way for people to exchange plants and get information regarding watersheds.

This article is reprinted with permission from Thornton Creek Alliance's September 2001 newsletter. (