A Rain Garden is . . .

A rain garden is a shallow, constructed depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants & grasses. It is located in your landscape to receive 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, holds the water for a short period of time and allows it to naturally infiltrate into the ground. 

A rain garden can be thought of as a personal water quality system because it filters the runoff from your roof and lawn and recharges the groundwater.  It keeps polluted rain water from reaching the creek.

Rebate Program for Rain Gardens

Rain gardens are so important to helping ease the problems of rain water run-off, that both Washington DC and Montgomery County give rebates to homeowners for building one. 

For the Montgomery County Program, check out their website - www.rainscapes.org - to learn about the rebate program. 

For the DC Program, visit their RiverSmart Homes page to learn how you can help keep polluted water out of the creek.