Why build a rain garden?
Rain gardens are highly engineered to provide environmental benefits, but don’t let that fool you.
They are also beautifully landscaped garden features that:
• Enhance the landscaping and appearance of homes and yards
• Provide habitat for beneficial insects and birds
• Filter oil and grease from driveways, pesticides, and fertilizers from lawns, and other pollutants before they reach groundwater or the storm drain and eventually streams, wetlands, lakes and marine waters
• Filter runoff from agricultural land to help prevent pollutants like manure from washing into our waterways
• Reduce flooding on neighboring property, overflows in sewers, and erosion in streams by absorbing runoff from hard surfaces
• Increase the amount of water that soaks into the ground to recharge local groundwater
How do I build a rain garden?
Qualified properties in Whatcom County are eligible to receive funding (cost share) from the Whatcom Conservation District to design and construct your rain garden. To learn more, please contact Whatcom Conservation District Rain Garden Coordinator Frank Corey, at fcorey@whatcomcd.org or by phone, 360 410-6864.
*email contact is preferred