It may seem like everyone has a rain barrel or two stashed in the backyard by now. But only one community can claim to be the rain barrel capital of metro Atlanta.

In Mountain Park, a hamlet in north Fulton County, almost one in five houses is connected to the water savers.

Phil Skinner/phskinner@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Lloyd Hendricks ordered a pair of rain barrels after he saw the fire chief installing one on the fire station. Now, Hendricks is a big believer.

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That's largely because the city has gone into the nonprofit, rain barrel business.

Using syrup containers donated by Coca-Cola Enterprises, city officials are giving residents the barrels, then selling installation kits for $35 — enough to cover costs.

In a city with 250 homes, word gets around about a good deal. Eight months after the program started, Mountain Park has 74 barrels on 42 houses.

Lloyd Hendricks ordered a pair of rain barrels after he saw the fire chief installing one on the fire station. Now, Hendricks is a big believer.

Last summer, his perennials and dogwood and maple trees suffered through the drought.

This year, the greenery gets all the water it needs. The rain barrels capture every drop that hits the roof, by filtering it through a downspout connection.

"That's been a life-saver," Hendricks said.

The barrels seem to be making a difference, said City Councilman Bill Schmidt, who came up with the idea. Mountain Park uses less water. People get to water outdoors. And the city stays out of it.

"If you have a rain barrel, you can do what you want," Schmidt said. "You can wash your car with it. We don't care."