Now that all of North Royalton will be billed for the Northeast Regional Storm water Program, some residents may be looking to get a credit on their bill through the use of rain barrels. According to the Cuyahoga Solid and Water Conservation District (SWCD), a rain barrel, “is a form of storm water management that collects rainwater by diverting some of the water from your down spout into the barrel. The collected water can be used for various purposes, such as watering gardens/lawns or washing cars. Up to 40% of summer water use is for irrigation, so the use of rain barrels is an important contribution to water efficiency.”
Presently, the city of North Royalton’s codified ordinances do address rain barrels, as follows:
“Chapter 1464 Exterior Property Maintenance, Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens.
(1) Roof drains, gutters and downspouts shall be maintained in good repair and free from obstructions. Roof water shall not be discharged in a manner that creates a public nuisance. Roof drains, gutters and downspouts shall be connected to a public storm sewer, or in the event a public storm sewer is not available, shall be discharged in a manner approved by the Building Commissioner and the City Engineer, or his or her duly authorized representative. However, one or more downspout (s) may be diverted into an approved rain barrel or other structural storage container, provided that the overflow from such appurtenances is directed into the public storm sewer system. Rain barrels or other structural storage containers shall be covered at all times and incorporate a drainage system that directs any overflow away from the building’s foundation and into the public storm sewer system. The installation of rain barrels or other structural storage containers shall be subject to review and approval of the City Engineer, or his or her duly authorized representative, and shall conform to the standards set forth by the City for such devices. Visual screening of rain barrels or other structural storage containers may be required, on a case by case basis, so as to prevent unsightly visual impacts to the surrounding area. This will be determined by the City Engineer or Building Commissioner, or his or her duly authorized representative, at the time of permit application and subject to any standards set forth by the city.
(2) As an alternative requirement of division (a) of this section stating that down spouts be connected to the public sewer system, one or more down spout (s) may be directed into an approved rain garden. Such rain garden shall be subject to the review and approval of the City Engineer, or his or her duly authorized representative, and shall be constructed in accordance with the latest edition of the Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners. No rain garden shall be constructed until a permit has been obtained.”
According to Mayor Bob Stefanik, this ordinance will be reviewed in order to make it more user friendly. It is expected to be a subject of discussion with City Council.
If you would like to make your own rain barrel, you can attend the SWCD Rain Barrel Workshop, where you can build a 55 gallon, closed system. The workshops began in 2008 and the district has sold over 3,000 rain barrels to the public and conducts 20-25 rain barrel workshops yearly. At these workshops, an instructor explains the importance of rain barrels and instructs attendees to build their own barrels to take home to use in their lawns and gardens. The cost of the workshop is $60. The following is a listing of some of the upcoming workshops:
May 25, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. Rain Barrel Workshop and Compost Seminar – Beachwood
May 26, 2016 at 6 p.m. Rain Barrel Workshop – Rocky River
June 08, 2016 at 6:30 pm Rain Barrel Workshop – Bay Village
June 09, 2016 at 6 p.m. Rain Barrel Workshop – Independence
June 15, 2016 at 6 p.m. Rain Barrel and Compost Workshop – Garfield Heights
June 26, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. Rain Barrel Workshop – Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market
Reservations are required. For more information, call Amy Roskilly at 216-524-6580, extension 22 or aroskilly@cuyahogaswcd.org. You can view all the upcoming workshops and register online as well by going to their website, http://cuyahogaswcd.org and click on events.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer