Rain Gardens

Rain Gardens

Education & Outreach | Water Quality

Rain running off roads and driveways flows into storm drains that discharge to local streams and bays. This stormwater often carries pollutants and contaminants such as heavy metals, fertilizers, oil, pet waste, and tire chemicals lethal to coho salmon. Rain gardens are designed to collect the first flush of runoff during a rainstorm, which carries the highest levels of pollutants, and hold it temporarily in bioretention basins. Stormwater filters through special soils that hold onto pollutants and plant roots absorb excess nutrients, reducing contaminated runoff before it reaches our bays and recharging the groundwater. See WSU Rain Gardens for more information about why rain gardens are such effective stormwater filtration systems and WSU Rural Stormwater Solutions for a suite of educational materials to help landowners manage stormwater and reduce polluted runoff in rural areas.

2022 Rain Garden Maintenance Work Party.

ADOPT A RAIN GARDEN

Be a part of East Jefferson County’s natural stormwater solutions by helping to care for a rain garden in your area! The MRC’s rain garden program is, at its heart, a community project with rain gardens built and cared for largely by volunteers. Rain gardens require just a small amount of maintenance, with only a handful of days needed to weed, water, and mulch throughout the year. The MRC can support by providing educational resources and garden supplies, responding to questions, and organizing work parties when some extra hands are needed. Maintaining rain gardens not only help to treat stormwater runoff but also offer a way for volunteers to connect with other community members while beautifying our neighborhoods and supporting pollinators. To see the list of rain gardens in need of a little extra care and sign up to become a steward, visit: www.bit.ly/RainGardenStewards.

Become a Steward
Rain Gardens