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Home > BizTimes Daily > Archives > November 10, 2006
Program provides incentives to create rain gardens
Published November 10, 2006 - BizTimes Daily
Organizations and individuals who reside in any community served by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) can now apply for reduced-cost plants to help increase the number of rain gardens in the area.
Rain gardens help protect the health of rivers and Lake Michigan by capturing storm water and draining it into the ground instead of allowing it to flow into sewers or become polluted runoff.
"Rain gardens are nature's way of helping to correct man-made problems like sewer overflows and polluted runoff," said Kevin Shafer, executive director of MMSD. "We're spending a ton of money to reduce sewer overflows. If we really want to improve our rivers and lakes, we need to do something to reduce the amount of storm water pollution that flows into waterways every time it rains."
The Lake Michigan Rain Gardens Initiative is a partnership between MMSD and the Graham-Martin Foundation (GMF).
"Above and beyond the water quality benefits, rain gardens add beauty to neighborhoods and they attract birds, butterflies and wildlife," said Bill Graham of the GMF. "We're offering more than 50 species of native plants that have deep roots to help the rain garden absorb much more water than your typical lawn."
Residents, groups and units of government within Milwaukee County and the cities of Brookfield, Mequon, Muskego and New Berlin and the villages of Butler, Elm Grove, Germantown, Menomonee Falls, Thiensville and Caledonia are eligible to purchase the plants. For every 2.5-inch plant purchased at $3.60, eligible applicants will receive a second plant for free.
Interested parties need to fill out and submit a short application form by Jan. 22. The form is available at MMSD's Web site, www.mmsd.com.
