Mount Clemens City Commissioners pose with Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller and an assembled rain barrel kit at the City Commission’s Nov. 18 meeting. Mount Clemens is distributing rain barrels free of charge to residents that use combined sewers.
By: Dean Vaglia | Mount Clemens-Clinton-Harrison Journal | Published December 12, 2024
MOUNT CLEMENS — A countywide effort to cut down on combined sewer overflow pollution has led to the arrival of a rain barrel program in Mount Clemens.
Through a collaboration between the city of Mount Clemens and the Macomb County Public Works Office, eligible city residents can apply for one rain barrel kit per household. A total of 166 kits are available. Barrels will be distributed through the city and are available to people living in areas that use combined storm drain and sanitary sewer infrastructure.
Rain barrels capture rainwater and prevent it from overloading the combined sewers during rainstorms. Residents can then use the captured rainwater to water lawns, landscaping or for other uses. Mount Clemens City Manager Gregg Shipman said rain barrels will help reduce the cost of processing and cleaning combined discharge during storms.
Rain barrel kits include a 58-gallon barrel with preinstalled plumbing, a wooden stand and connecting pieces. Both the stand and barrels are made from recycled materials. The barrels take on a new life after originally being used to store olives in Greece.
Residents can apply for a rain barrel kit by filling out the form found at mountclemens.gov/rainbarrelprogram. Barrels are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are free of charge to eligible residents. Shipman says nearly 200 households have applied for barrels as of early December, though all applications had not been vetted at that time.
“There are not enough barrels for the (combined sewer overflow) districts,” Shipman said. “So far, it’s been an overwhelming success. That being the case, we’re going to try to solicit some more donations and try to get more barrels available.”
Mount Clemens is the third municipality in Macomb County turning to rain barrels to reduce Lake St. Clair pollution. Roseville and Eastpointe created rain barrel distribution programs earlier this year. Macomb County purchased 400 barrels through the Southeast Macomb County Wastewater Disposal System fund and gave 200 to each city for distribution. Roseville and Eastpointe residents were responsive, overwhelming their city’s stocks within a week of the programs being activated.
Miller said the response to the rain barrels left an impression on Stephen Saph, agency principle of Mount Clemens-based insurance agency Nickel & Saph, Inc., who provided the county public works office with $10,000 to get a rain barrel program started in the city.
“Because he did that, I said I’d find $10,000 in my drain fund — which I did — and then I approached the mayor and asked whether the city could also come up with $10,000,” Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said.
Shipman said Mount Clemens donated its own share of $10,000 to the department, giving the county a $30,000 budget used to purchase 166 rain barrel kits. The program was officially presented to the Mount Clemens City Commission at its Nov. 18 meeting.
As a city with its own water and sewer system, Mount Clemens has been working since the 1980s to reduce combined sewer overflows. One of the largest strategies the city has sought is the creation of a retention basin along the Clinton River at the corner of Michigan Street and Avery Street. Mount Clemens Utilities Supervisor Lenny Bertrand said plans to fully replace the remaining combined sewers are hampered by a lack of space for outfall pipes in those areas.
Miller entertained the possibility of expanding the rain barrel program to other communities in the county.
“If any other community is interested in approaching us, we will try to make something work for their municipality,” Miller said. “I just think it’s a great program.”