Rain barrels mandated on new properties

Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter

 

The subject of mandating rain barrels on new developments was brought forward to council on Jan. 21.
The proposed amendment to the Land Use Bylaw would see the addition of rain barrels on new residential lots become mandatory.
Cancorp Property Group, developers of Wildflower Ranch, and Ovation Homes wrote letters of opposition to the amendment.
Curtis Palmer, president of Ovation Homes, was on hand for the public hearing and spoke about his concerns, which included the possible risk they pose to the foundation if not installed properly and the freezing of the water in the barrels during the winter.
“As a builder we are required to grade each home with positive drainage away from the foundation,” said Palmer.
“It is the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain those grades after possession, including correcting any settlement. Water in basements and foundation issues caused by water will not be warrantied by the builder or the third party warranty provider if it is determined those grades have not been maintained.”
He continued on to say that in his experience with homeowners today, everyone’s time is valuable and they are looking for low maintenance in everything they do and he would suggest that the majority of homeowners wouldn’t want a rain barrel, but admits to not asking them either.
Werner Fischer, with the planning and development department for the town, said that the development permit and building permit processes try to ensure that positive drainage is provided away from the building without impacting adjacent properties.
“In areas of town where we do not have storm sewer we’re compelled to use streets and the lanes because they are an essential part of the overall drainage for the town,” said Fischer.
There is an issue with storm water management in certain areas of the town. Many areas downtown, for example, don’t have storm sewer; all of the new areas do have storm water drainage, however.
“I believe certainly in some of areas of the town, especially in those areas where we don’t have storm sewers, rain barrels are going to be required and we’re going to have to figure out how to make them work,” said Fischer.
Councillor Rocky Blokland questioned if it will really make that much of a difference, especially since those barrels will still need to be emptied, and will likely be drained onto people’s lawns if they are not used for gardening, or other uses.
“You’re reducing the rate of release, that’s what this is all about,” said Fischer.
In Fischer’s opinion making rain barrels mandatory is about water conservation, stormwater management and water table management. There are cases where everything has been done right on a property, and suddenly 20 years later they have water issues that weren’t there before due to rising water tables. He said typically one neighbour adding a sump pump resolves the situation, but there are often other ways to deal with it. In some cases extending the downspout further away from the house has helped some people mitigate the problem.
Fischer feels rain barrels are a viable option to dealing with the three water issues. He does have some concerns about making it mandatory in new subdivisions in all cases, but said he doesn’t have enough experience in Strathmore to be definitive about that because in a case where the bed rock is really shallow, and there are perched water tables it may be down just below footing level, but adding a house and driveway on it could pull it up a foot.
“In those cases a rain barrel could be a great benefit because what you’re often doing is concentrating a lot of that stormwater into a very narrow space between two houses,” said Fischer.
Councillor Bob Sobol is an advocate of the proposal and said that garden and lawn irrigation accounts for approximately 40 per cent of water usage during the summer months. By using rain barrels homeowners can also save 500 to 600 gallons of potable water when it comes to their irrigation.
“Has it happened anywhere else? I don’t think so, but I’m not sure if that is a reason for us not to be aggressive with this amendment. We know it works, this is part of an education process that we’re trying to bring in and it may just hopefully flow from the new areas to other areas in town once people find out,” said Sobol.
There are some issues when it comes to maintaining the rain barrels, but they are fixable, said Sobol. He has three rain barrels and said they take a few minutes to deal with throughout the year, but the benefits far outweigh any time that you have to spend on them.
“We have to take the lead on this council. It’s the right thing for us to do for our community, it’s the right thing to do for our constituents and it is the right thing to do for the environment,” said Sobol.
Councillor Denise Peterson said in addition to what rain barrels will do for stormwater management, residents also need to reconsider using potable water as irrigation. Strathmore is not in an area of great rainfall, and the water comes from a river that is losing capacity as more and more water users tie into it with each year. Water conservation is a concern for much of the province.
“If these rain barrels aren’t used properly though, you’re defeating the entire purpose. When I say that, it brings me to October, November when things start getting colder, if you don’t have these barrels empty I can see in the spring a lot of these barrels are going to end up in the recycle yard,” said Blokland.
“I’m not sure if rain barrels should be mandated by bylaw, I think the education part would be a better way to go.”
Councillor Brad Walls would like to see it looked at as an option for the areas in town that are a concern. He would rather see an incentive program set up, and would like to see an education program to better educate people and allow them to make that decision.
Sobol agreed that there are better ways to deal with stormwater, but said that’s not what the amendment is about.
“This isn’t just about stormwater, that’s the issue I keep trying to make, this is about education, this is about saving our water and a swale, or other methods to deal with stormwater does not increase our amount of potable water use on our plants and trees and grass. I just feel that with it being mandated this is our chance, this is our opening to start education,” said Sobol.
He agrees with the education side, but also said that the town has to show the way and has to demonstrate they are serious about this as a viable option. He knows nothing stops a homeowner from using a rain barrel, but at least the option will be there.
The amendment was approved with Councillors Blokland and Walls opposed. All new homes developed are now required to have a rain barrel. A rain barrel costs approximately $50.