August 20, 2013 · Exit133

Adopt a Rain Garden, or Grow Your Own

A new program to promote rain gardens in Tacoma goes before the City Council this evening. The program would offer rebates and other incentives to encourage citizens to install rain gardens of their own, or adopt one of the increasing number of City-owned rain gardens.

Rain gardens (the sexier, and easier to remember name for "biofiltration swales") are a Low Impact Design technique designed to increase stormwater infiltration and decrease runoff by funneling rainwater through specially designed structures and plantings, which are designed to absorb runoff, reducing the amount of pollution that enters a water supply.

Adopt a rain garden.

The number of City-owned rain gardens has increased significantly with projects like the Pacific Avenue streetscape project. The proposed program would offer an adopt-a-rain garden component that would put businesses and citizens in charge of maintenance in exchange for a rate break.

Major maintenance would still be provided by the City, but adopters would be responsible for basic maintenance and litter pick up, and would be "eyes in the field" for signs of vandalism and erosion. The City would provide signage, gloves, and training and up to a one category rate reduction.

The Downtown Merchants Group has already stepped up with an offer to help with the 14 new rain gardens created as part of the Pacific Avenue project. That would leave 11 more available for adoption at this time.

Grow your own.

The proposed pilot program would focus on the Flett and Leach watersheds, giving residents in those areas a rebate of $2 for every square foot of rain garden, up to a maximum of $2,000. The homeowner woud be expected to maintain the garden for a minimum number of years. Residents of other watersheds would have access to design assistance and soil testing resources.

Staff estimates the cost of the program to the surface water utility will be $90,000 for the 2013-2014 biennium. It is a a requirement of Tacoma's Municipal Stormwater permit requires the City to encourage Low Impact Development practices like rain gardens.

If approved, the adopt a rain garden project would kick off this fall with the completion of the Pac Ave improvements. The pilot program would continue through December 2014, followed by stakeholder outreach to improve the program, and make it permanent.

Filed under: Green Tacoma, City Projects

5 comments

Scout August 20, 2013

So, as only Tacoma city leaders drooling for government money could implement, the systems were put in without a plan of permanent or enough maintenance? I'm not sure what the hell the city was thinking putting these pee gardens in the restaurant/bar district on Pacific between South 9th to South 7th, where they are now collecting trash and cigarette butts and can be used as large public urinals by intoxicated patrons who already have no qualms about urinating in the street and the parking lot next to Dorky's. The cutting edge Pacific Ave plan couldn't even include basic public garbage cans, which have been absent from these blocks for years, as part of this grand design? The Pacific Ave project is awesome in how it has turned our block into a super-heated moonscape, by ripping out the full shade trees that support outside seating on one side and, before re-planting any of them, ripped out the trees on the other side of the block. But we have awesome pee garden ashtrays! In a few months, we "stakeholders" will most likely get our utility bills hiked and BIA taxes raised for the maintenance of something we did not ask or vote for. This city REALLY needs to stop growing itself and lining its pockets under the guise of "helping" downtown businesses for the umpteenth disruptive time.
fred davie August 20, 2013

How about a moratorium on "rain garden" ditches? I don't think the public has had a proper opportunity to weigh in on these ecological experiments. Why don't we see how the Pacific Ave. ones look in about 10 years and go from there?
- JDHasty August 21, 2013
  
  Stock up now on mosquito repellent, these things are notorious as breeding grounds for mosquitos.
fred davie August 21, 2013

Examine the photograph carefully. What's missing? If you guessed wheelchair ramp...you're right! How are disabled people supposed to get into the rain garden to help with the maintenance when there is no wheel chair access? I guess the tax relief offered to rain garden maintainers is only given to able bodied "volunteers." Further evidence that the greenies in Tacoma hate disabled people
- JDHasty August 21, 2013
  
  "The Downtown Merchants Group has already stepped up with an offer to help with the 14 new rain gardens created as part of the Pacific Avenue project. That would leave 11 more available for adoption at this time." Bill Evans merry band of sycophants and co-conspirators promised to maintain the center island that is in the middle of N 26th St, roughly betw N Mason and N Madison. The bottom line is they lied. Within a couple years the damnable thing resembled the front yard of the Adam's Family and money to pay the bill to maintain it comes out of the taxpayer's wallet. I have the emails archived in which I suggested that since the North End Neighborhood Council made the promise to maintain it that the cost of paying City crews to maintain it should be subtracted from the stipend they receive from the City, but that suggestion went nowhere. Hey the North End Neighborhood Council being a wholly owned subsidiary of the Evans machine wasn't going to be held accountable for promises they made and mark my words the Downtown Merchant's Group will not be held accountable when they fail to follow through on their empty promises and commitments.