What is a Rain Garden? It is a place for collecting water, but it can become a beautiful and useful part of landscaping in your yard. Rain Gardens can be thought of as a personal water quality system. A water-runoff area is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses, located so as to receive the water from a roof, sidewalk or driveway. Rain Gardens slow down the rush of water and hold it, allowing the water to naturally infiltrate into the ground. Do you have a lake in front of your house after heavy rains? Install a Rain Garden and do your part to prevent polluted runoff from entering our waterways.
Why is slowing the flow of stormwater important?
During heavy rains, the volume of stormwater may exceed the capacity of drainage pipes. Polluted stormwater runoff from rooftops, streets and other hard surfaces may go directly into our waterways. For this reason, Seattle Public Utilities is helping Seattle residents protect Puget Sound and Lake Washington by the use of Rain Gardens.
On Monday, May 13, Seattle Public Utilities will host a RainWise presentation, 6:30 PM at 5801 Sand Point Way NE, the Center for Spiritual Living building. You can talk to residents of Ballard and Northeast Seattle who have had Rain Gardens installed, and meet contractors who install the rain gardens. If you live south of NE 85th Street, you may be eligible for a rebate — Check the rebate page and take a virtual tour to see some of the Rain Gardens which have been done.