What is a Rain Garden?

Why Rain Gardens?

Rain garden at a Puyallup home

•  Protect streams and Puget Sound

•  Recharge groundwater

•  Filter pollution and reduce local flooding

•  Provide beneficial wildlife habitat

•  Easy and inexpensive to install

•  Attractive and need little maintenance

Pollutant Removal Rate

Total Phosphorous 70-83%

Metals (Cu, Zn, Pb) 93-98%

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen 68-80%

Total Suspended Solids 90%

Organics (pesticides) 90%

Bacteria 90% Source: Davis et al.1998

Pollutant Removal Rates

Rain garden at an Eatonville home

•  Infiltrate stormwater •  Move water safely away •  Protect crawl spaces and basements •  Clusters of rain gardens protect neighborhoods Rain garden at a Puyallup home

Rain Gardens Reduce Local Flooding

Rain Garden Program

•  Residential homeowner focus •  Classroom education •  Neighborhood installation events •  Assistance to jurisdictions •  Watershed approach

Steve is a homeowner in Puyallup Steve‘s rain garden and his neighbors

2011 Class Schedule

Rain Gardens Installed in Puget Sound

http://raindogdesigns.com 150 installed as of December 2011

City of Puyallup Rain Garden Cluster August 2009

8th Ave Before

After

8th Ave Before

After

Town of Eatonville Rain Garden Cluster May 2010

Baumgartner Place NE

Before

After

Before

After

Community Involvement and Participation

“Gardening With Ciscoe” Live Broadcast

Eatonville Library 2009

2009

2010

2011

Town of Eatonville Rain Garden Cluster May 2011

Orchard Ave N and

Hwy 161

Before

After

Before

After

Eatonville High School Before

After

Before

Construction

After

Eatonville Stormwater Initiative

Nisqually Tribe