Rain falling on our roofs, driveways, and yard can carry pollutants to Puget Sound and other waterways – significantly harming their health.
One way to help solve this problem is to install a rain garden in your yard. Rain gardens can be thought of as a personal water quality system. A rain garden is a shallow, constructed depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants and grasses. It is located in your landscape to receive polluted runoff from hard surfaces such as a roof, a sidewalk and a driveway. Rain gardens slow down the rush of water from these hard surfaces, hold the water for a short period of time and allow it to naturally infiltrate into the ground.
Recently an area homeowner delivered home the point that Puget Sound really does start at your door by creating a rain garden that is a scale model of Puget Sound. Covering the entire front yard, the water for the sound comes straight from the downspout of the house. See pictures of the project.
Learn more how you can get started on your own rain garden.
You can also learn more and see examples of rain gardens at events and tours around the city.