home > programs > rain barrel initiative

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.

NMRWA is installing rain barrels throughout the Nine Mile Run Watershed . 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:

Nine Mile Run Watershed Residents: $100+tax
 The Nine Mile Run Watershed includes Edgewood, Wilkinsburg, part of Swissvale, and some areas of Pittsburgh including portions of Point Breeze, Park Place, and Squirrel Hill. To see if you live in the Nine Mile Run Watershed check this list of watershed addresses.

Residents must have their property assessed for a rain barrel by NMRWA staff prior to purchasing the barrel. Please call 412-371-8779 ext. 16 or write to rainbarrel@ninemilerun.org to schedule a property assessment.

Watershed residents who have had their properties assessed can pay for their rain barrel(s) by clicking below.

Additional Barrels for Watershed Residents:
$90 each + tax



Outside the Nine Mile Run Watershed:
$275 + tax

Additional Barrels --Outside the Nine Mile Run Watershed
(10% discount): $247.50 + tax

Delivery within Allegheny County (outside the
Nine Mile Run Watershed): $50

Assessment & Installation: $75
In Allegheny County, outside the Nine Mile Run Watershed

NMRWA "Steward" Membership Includes
Technical Support: $100
Includes on site repair and/or replacement of any faulty parts and assistance with seasonal maintenance.

NMRWA "Protector" Membership Includes
Rain Barrel: $500
Includes rain barrel, property assessment, installation, and technical support for one year anywhere in Allegheny County.



 

Thanks to our funders:

The PA Department of Environmental
Protection’s Growing Greener II Program

The Richard King Mellon Foundation

Roy A Hunt Foundation