200 rain barrels to be distributed to Roseville residents to ease area flooding

Next time a storm is brewing in Roseville, residents will be ready to catch it.

In September, 200 rain barrel kits will be given out to Roseville residents for free as a part of a pilot project to reduce the flooding that results from combined storm sewer overflows into Lake St. Clair during heavy rain showers.

“Rain events with 2-3 inches or more in as little as two hours have pushed drains and underground infrastructure designed several decades ago to their limits," Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said in a news release. "Every gallon counts when trying to prevent such discharges into the lake and flooding of streets and homes, and that’s where residents and rain barrels can help reduce overflows as well.”

Roseville was chosen by the county because it is the largest community in the Martin Sanitary Diversion Drain district. According to Macomb County Public Works, the Martin Retention Treatment Basin averages 7.2 partially treated discharges of combined stormwater and sanitary sewage flow each year but has already had 12 discharges in 2024.

According to project partner and supplier MI Rain Barrel, similar 200-barrel programs have effectively diverted approximately 1 million gallons of rainwater away from sewer systems each year, allowing the water to be reused for other outdoor purposes.

“We can’t control the weather, but we feel that many residents want to help in some way. If residents install a rain barrel and use that water for their lawn or garden as needed, they will save money on their outdoor water cost and save the community from paying the Great Lakes Water Authority to treat that stormwater,” said Miller. “That’s a win-win-win for the residents, the city and the environment.”

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The barrel kits, assembled by MI Rain Barrel, include the 58-gallon barrels made of high-density polyethylene with a brass spigot, a brass overflow valve, a plastic mesh screen for the lid, a 2-by-3-inch flex-elbow rainwater diverter for the home downspout, a 6-pack of mosquito dunks and instructions. Additionally, the barrels are repurposed from former olive barrels imported from Greece, eliminating the need for new manufacturing of barrels and thereby creating no additional carbon footprint.

The kits would normally cost $180 each but funding by the Southeast Macomb County Wastewater Disposal System under the pilot project allows the barrel kits to be distributed at no cost to Roseville residents at one barrel per household.

The rain barrel kits are expected to be delivered to Roseville before the end of August and made available to interested residents for pickup at the Public Service Building on Calahan Road at a to-be-announced date in September. For more information, go to roseville-mi.gov.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 200 rain barrels to be distributed to Roseville residents to ease area flooding