Project aims for 12,000 new rain gardens in region
Published 12:01 am Thursday, April 28, 2011
You’re going to be hearing a lot more about rain gardens in the years ahead.
The Washington State University Extension and a nonprofit land restoration and preservation company called Stewardship Partners have teamed up to launch an ambitious rain garden installation campaign project.
It’s called “12,000 Rain Gardens in Puget Sound” and the goal is to install 12,000 new rain gardens by 2016.
What the heck is a rain garden? They are landscape features designed to capture and filter water runoff from land, rooftops and driveways. They function less like human-altered landscapes and more like natural areas undisturbed by development.
Having 12,000 of them in the Puget Sound region could soak up an estimated 160 million gallons of polluted runoff each year, according to WSU.
Check out www.12000raingardens.org to see how you can get involved with classes and workshops.
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
