Safety Bars Studied for Storm Drains

Hoping to keep small children out of the storm drains that line city streets, the City Council tonight will discuss adding metal bars to some of the drain openings.

Half of the city’s 533 drain openings, ranging in height from 5 to 11 inches, currently lack protective bars, a result of the different storm drain design guidelines the city has followed over the years.

According to a staff report that the council is scheduled to discuss tonight, the city would have to pay an estimated $119,472 to add bars to all unprotected drain openings that are at least 7 inches high. The price would drop to $13,680 if the city changed only those drain openings that are at least 9 inches high.