Barberton lists 330-861-7298 for reporting suspected illicit stormwater discharges and connections. Use the Stormwater Management page for the current reporting route. Describe what you can observe without touching the water or investigating a pipe yourself.
The City lists examples such as paint or chemicals entering drains, oil or vehicle fluids, sanitary sewer overflows and failing septic systems. Its definition also points to exceptions in the ordinance: an unusual flow is a reason to report a concern, not enough evidence for a resident to declare a violation.
Give the report a location someone else can find
“Dirty water near my house” leaves the receiving office with little to locate. LSL’s observation card separates useful details from conclusions that require investigation:
| Observation to report | Detail that makes it usable |
|---|---|
| Location | Nearest address or intersection and the drain, ditch or stream involved |
| Time | When first seen and whether it was still occurring at the last safe observation |
| Appearance | Visible color, floating material or flow, described without identifying an unknown substance |
| Context | Recent rainfall or an activity you actually saw; distinguish it from a suspected source |
| Photograph, if already safe to take | Show the location as well as the visible condition; do not enter water, open a cover or approach a discharge for a better image |
These are LSL’s preparation prompts, not mandatory City form fields. A report can be useful even when the source, material or duration is unknown. Say that explicitly instead of filling the gap with a guess.
Screening and source tracing are agency work
The City describes dry-weather screening by the Summit County Health Department after at least 48 hours without rain. Flow observed during that screening may be sampled for laboratory analysis. Once a discharge has been identified as illicit, the described investigation works upstream through the drainage system.
That sequence explains why a report, a sample result and an identified source are different findings. It is not an instruction for residents to collect samples, lift manhole covers or trace a connection across private property.
Keep this contact separate from a sewer backup call
The City directory independently lists the Stormwater Manager at 330-861-7298 and a separate Sewer Backups contact at 330-745-1864. For water backing into a building, use the local sewer first-call comparison rather than assuming the stormwater pollution office is the dispatch route. Immediate danger needs emergency services, not delayed documentation.
LSL compared the program’s reporting and investigation text with the directory on September 20, 2026. No discharge was sampled, report submitted or enforcement outcome obtained. Neither source establishes a guaranteed response time for an individual report.