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Keeping Rainwater on Your Lot

To reduce the amount of water rushing into Nine Mile Run during a rainstorm, it is important to keep as much rainwater as possible on your lot. By doing so, you prevent the rain from flowing over hard surfaces such as roads and driveways, picking up pollutants, and flooding and eroding Nine Mile Run. The water can slowly soak through the soil and into the water table, being cleansed by soils and plants along the way.

Nine Mile Run Rain Barrel Initiative

The Rain Barrel Initiative currently features our own locally- produced barrels with an improved design. The barrel holds an impressive 133 gallons of stormwater and with its removable lid, the barrel is easy to install and maintain.

While rain barrels have been commonly used to store water for gardening during times of little rain or drought, our rain barrels have the overall purpose of collecting the stormwater that runs off of your rooftop, and directing it to a permeable surface away from your home like a garden.

Our barrels are designed to continuously drain so they are always ready to collect during the next rain or snow melt. This is how they help protect Nine Mile Run--by letting the water soak into the ground rather than rushing through the storm sewers and into the stream.

NMRWA is installing rain barrels again this year. We are focusing barrel installations on homes in four "study neighborhoods" within the Nine Mile Run Watershed. These study neighborhoods will help us demonstrate the effectiveness of rain barrels on lowering the amount of stormwater runoff into our waterways.

Residents in the four study neighborhoods listed below will be offered free rain barrels, free installation, and free technical support for two years. NMRWA staff will first assess the property to see if there is an appropriate location for a barrel. Below are links to maps and eligible residences in the four study neighborhoods.

Rain barrels are also available to all Nine Mile Run
Watershed and Allegheny County residents as follows:

NMR Watershed Residents Other Allegheny County Residents
Residents of Study Neighborhoods: Free rain barrel, installation, and two years of rain barrel technical support*. $200 + 7% sales tax. Barrels can be picked up at the NMRWA office or delivered by NMRWA for a $50 fee. Please call for details.
Any other watershed resident:
$100 + 7% sales tax for one rain barrel and installation. 		Residents of zip codes 15206, 15208, 15217, 15218, 15221: Sames as above + NMRWA will asess the homeowner's property and install barrels in these zip codes for an additional $50 fee.
Current members at the $100 level or above: Receive technical support for their barrel as a NMRWA membership gift.
*Members at the $500 level or above: Rain barrel, installation, and one year technical support as membership gift.

*Technical support includes: 1) answering questions related to the functioning, maintenance, or problems with a NMRWA rain barrel, and 2) repairs due to faulty parts or installation.

To see if you live in the Nine Mile Run Watershed
check this list of
watershed addresses
Nine Mile Run Watershed Residents Need to Have an Assesment of Their Property prior to purchasing a NMRWA Rain Barrel

If you would like a barrel please contact us at (412) 371-3095 or e-mail rainbarrels@ninemilerun.org.

Buy Securely Online with Paypal

Please contact us at 412.371.3095 or rainbarrels@ninemilerun.org
if you have any questions

Nine Mile Run Watershed Resident: $100 + tax

Second+ Barrel 10% discount--Watershed Resident: $90 + tax



Outside the Nine Mile Run Watershed: $200 + tax


Second+ Barrel 10% discount--Outside the Nine Mile Run Watershed: $180 + tax

Delivery within Allegheny County: $50

Installation: $50
Non-watershed residents in zip codes 15208, 15217, 15218, 15221 ONLY

Technical Support: $100+ Membership

Nine Mile Run Protector+ Membership: $500