Seattle's innovative Residential RainWise Program provides tools for stormwater management at home, in the hopes of reducing flooding, safeguarding property, and restoring the area's waters for people and wildlife.
Akua Nyame-Mensah describes Seattle's program, which encourages property owners to control rainwater and moderate impervious surfaces, to "help the rain soak into the soil, just like it does in native forests."
"The RainWise Program website makes it easy for residents to find the footprint of their property and select the appropriate RainWise intervention for their property from a list of recommendations. The city has also developed a database of licensed contractors, engineers, and landscape architects to help residents with installing interventions, such as rain gardens and cisterns that require a permit."
"Currently there is a rebate program for residents based on the amount of square feet of roof runoff that is controlled by cisterns and rain gardens in select areas of the city that have combined sewer overflow issues. The city hopes to increase the area of the city that is eligible for these rebates."
Thanks to John Christian Aguilar
FULL STORY: Seattle, Washington’s Rain Wise Program: Making Managing On-Site Stormwater Easy
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
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Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research