Michigan's severe storms highlight urgent need for better water management - What you can do

A rain barrel and native plant garden (Amber Eikenberry/FOX 2)

A program entering its second year will pay to add a garden to your Oakland County home - and the benefits will help both you and your community.

The RainSmart Rebates program provides residents located in the George W. Kuhn Drain Drainage District money to install rain gardens, rain barrels, and native trees to their yards.

Even if you don't live in the drainage district, adding these to your home can have benefits that stretch beyond your yard.

Flooding woes and contaminated water

Rain gardens full of native plants are not only pretty - they help divert rainwater from the sewer system. 

Why you should care:

The George W. Kuhn Drain Drainage District, formerly referred to as the Twelve Towns Drainage District, is a combined sewer system. In a combined system, wastewater and stormwater both flow through the same pipes, known as gray infrastructure, and go to a wastewater treatment plant. 

This means that during periods of intense rain like Metro Detroit has been seeing more frequently, the system can get overwhelmed. The result? Flooded streets and backups into homes.

Flooding in Royal Oak in August 2020

"These larger storms are going to be relentless over the years, and we have to be prepared," Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash said. "We have to recognize that these things are going to need to be done and more and more communities are working on this."

Also, there is a greater likelihood of contaminants making it into the system. 

And even if you live in an area that has separate systems for wastewater and stormwater, contamination is still a major issue, Nash said. In a separate system, rainwater flows into lakes and rivers, taking any pollution it may encounter, such as tar from parking lots, into the water bodies.

That's where green infrastructure comes in.

How rain barrels and gardens help

Flooding Reduction:

"The more you keep it (water) from getting into these storms and sewers, the less likely you will have enough get into them that they'll back up," Nash said. 

He explained how grass has very shallow roots compared to native plants that make up rain gardens - some of which have roots that grow 20-30 feet below ground. This makes a huge difference when heavy rain falls.

Flooding in Royal Oak in August 2020

"When rain hits the ground, it tries to follow roots to soak in rain once. Once you get a quarter inch of rain, that root system of a regular grass is just filled up. So, it (water) kind of sheds off that like it would if it was concrete," Nash said. "When you're putting in native plants that have much deeper roots, a lot of these plants that you put in these rain gardens… the roots can grow 20-30 feet deep. So, it can carry water way down, even past the clay that we have so much of here."

The result? Less flooding in your yard.

Trees work similarly, with the added benefit of leaves catching water before it can make itself to the ground.

While the roots of native plants absorb rainwater falling on the yard, barrels can be used to capture water from downspouts. When the rain moves out, what the barrel collected can be used to water plants - saving water and saving you money.

"This is a longterm answer that's much more efficient and inexpensive than the old gray infrastructure, and it can be just part of the process that we're going to have between gray and green to deal with these large storms," Nash said.

Pollinator Benefits:

Want to see more wildlife in your yard? Add native plants.

"A rain garden is perfect for pollinators," Nash said. "Bees and butterflies, and birds come and eat the bees and butterflies."

This adds beauty and benefits to neighborhoods.

"It's attractive. It's ambient. It looks nice in the neighborhood," Nash said. "It's a reprieve in neighborhoods that often are a house, a little bit of grass, and the rest is impervious."

RainSmart Rebates program

To take advantage of the RainSmart Rebates program, you must live in Berkley, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Clawson, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Royal Oak Township, Southfield, or Troy, 

RainSmart Rebates provides grants and rebates for residents who add rain gardens, barrels, and native trees to their yards. 

Nash said a big purpose of the program is to educate people about the benefits and importance of green infrastructure at homes.

"As we were planning for our long term response to the more extreme storms that are going to come with climate change, we were looking for ways to to help educate the public around this," he said. 

Related

Oakland County touts successful first year of program to help residents install rain barrels, gardens, trees

RainSmart Rebates, a pilot program designed to help Oakland County residents manage stormwater by installing rain barrels, rain gardens, and other green stormwater infrastructure has just completed its first year.

Last year was the first year of the program, and it was overwhelmingly successful, Nash said.

"We were hoping to get 100 people to sign up when we started this time last year, and we ended up with 500 people signed up," he said. "It was a huge response."

By the numbers:

Last year, $60,000 in rebates were issued for installing green infrastructure, with participants getting an average of $500 each, according to the county. Additionally, $16,000 in grants were awarded.

Here's how that money was used:

  • Rain barrels installed: 159
  • Native trees planted: 98
  • Rain gardens installed: 49

According to the county, these projects are expected to manage 605,000 gallons of stormwater annually.

What you can do:

Applications for this year's RainSmart Rebates program open March 1.

Residents participating in the program need to pay $25 for a site assessment by the Clinton River Watershed Council. This assessment will provide insight on how green infrastructure can be added to the home before residents begin installing their barrels and gardens.

While waiting for applications to open, you can check if you're eligible to participate in the program. Verify your eligibility here.

What's next:

Nash said the county is seeking grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to expand the program to more communities. 

The Source: FOX 2 interviewed Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash for this story. Information from a press release about the RainSmart Rebates program was also used. 

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