SLIDESHOW: Highland Park Improvement Club ‘Yards in the Hood’ shows off rain garden
SLIDESHOW: Highland Park Improvement Club ‘Yards in the Hood’ shows off rain garden
David Hymel of Rain Dog Designs (and his dog Vinny) were at The Highland Park Improvement Club at 1116 Holden Street SW for a 'Yards in the Hood' rain garden event June 1. He's one of the designers of the garden. They have been installing a rain garden in an area of their parking lot along Holden Street.
Patrick Robinson
Thu, 05/30/2013
Information from King County
Wondering if a rain garden is right for you? King County staff held their “Yards in the Hood”, community event June 1, at Highland Park Improvement Club, 1116 SW Holden St., Seattle.
The event, named by the community, celebrated what neighbors in Highland Park are doing to be green in their yards - from staying pesticide free to installing rain gardens.
King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s and Seattle Public Utility’s RainWise Program offers rebates to cover up to 100 percent of the cost to install cisterns and rain gardens on eligible properties in South Park, Highland Park and the Barton/Fauntleroy areas of West Seattle.
People spoke with RainWise contractors and learned about the program eligibility.
Rain gardens are more than just beautiful to look at; they help solve one of the largest sources of pollution problems for Puget Sound and local waterways. Highland Park Improvement Club, in partnership with Sustainable Seattle and King County, is battling stormwater pollution by installing a community-designed rain garden in their parking lot to soak up the rainwater that falls there and prevent it and the pollution it picks up along the way from entering the Duwamish River.
By encouraging people in these areas to better control stormwater through the RainWise Program, King County can meet its goal to reduce combined sewer overflows that occur near the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal during heavy rains.
The Highland Park-Riverview “Yards in the Hood” event is a partnership between Highland Park Improvement Club, Washington Environmental Council, Sustainable Seattle, and King County. The tour and rain garden are funded in part by a Green Grant from the King County Wastewater Treatment Division.
To receive a rebate, residents must live in an eligible combined sewer basin. The RainWise Program already serves City of Seattle’s Ballard, North Union Bay and Delridge neighborhoods. A map of eligible basins and more information on the program is at www.rainwise.seattle.gov.
Additional information about King County’s Combined Sewer Overflow Control Program is available on the Web at www.kingcounty.gov/csocontrol.
