12,000 Rain Gardens provides all communities around the Salish Sea with the knowledge, tools, resources and partnership to manage stormwater runoff.
What is a Rain Garden?
A rain garden is a bowl-shaped garden designed to slow, filter, and absorb (infiltrate, in technical terms) runoff from roofs or pavement keeping it from becoming harmful water pollution. Rain gardens are carefully designed to achieve their goal by using spongy living soils and properly chosen plants.
As our region grows, native forests are replaced with roads, parking lots and other hard surfaces. Rain gardens act like native forests by collecting and absorbing rainwater that washes over hard surfaces, filtering out pollutants like motor oil, pesticides and heavy metals.
Above: A profile of a rain garden
Why Install a Rain Garden?
-Rain gardens can beautify your home or business, adding to its value, while protecting your property and your community from flooding.
-Rain gardens also provide habitat for bees, birds, butterflies and other wildlife, help improve air quality and reduce your carbon footprint.
-Rain gardens are a proven way to reduce water pollution locally and regionally. Every year, heavy rains lead to massive flooding across Seattle and the Salish sea region, wiping out roads, and flooding homes and waterways with pollution from roads, and even sewage.
-Rain gardens are an affordable option for homeowners and utilities compared with traditional pipe and drain systems. They require minimal time and skill to maintain each year, and actually work better over time, unlike sewer pipes.
If you are interested in doing a rain garden or other GSI project, here are some resources to get you started!