Montgomery County accepts applications for the RainScapes Rebate Program again on Tuesday, Aug. 1. The program, which offers rebates to homeowners who make improvements to reduce stormwater runoff, stopped accepting applications on March 1. The county plans to continue accepting application from Aug. 1 through Oct. 15.
Most rainfall on urban surfaces such as roofs, driveways, roads, parking lots and patios ends up as stormwater runoff which causes erosion to streams, pollution and flooding. RainScapes techniques use landscape design to counteract the impacts of stormwater runoff.
Many types of projects reduce stormwater runoff and are eligible for a rebate from the county. These include rain gardens, landscape, green roofs, and rain barrels.
Rain Gardens
A garden designed to capture stormwater runoff from hard surfaces (roof, driveway, patio, or sidewalk. The rain garden has a shallow depression to collect and drain stormwater. The county provides a project manual to design and build a rain garden and details the requirements to qualify for the rebate.
Watch this video on building a rain garden.
Conservation Landscapes
Conservation landscaping benefits the environment by improving water quality, preserving native species, and providing wildlife habitat. Typically this type of project replaces some of the turf grass of a traditional lawn with native plants that require less water and maintenance than the lawn grasses. A project manual to replace turf grass is available online along with requirements for the rebate.
Green Roofs
A green roof is a rooftop partially or completely covered with a specifically designed soil and vegetation system. Green roofs
create living green spaces on top of buildings and structures that help to capture rainfall and reduce stormwater runoff. This captured water may be used by plants on the roof, released back to the atmosphere through evaporation, or it can be reused in other locations on the property. The county provides a project manual to design and build a green roof and details the requirements to qualify for the rebate.
Water Harvesting
Rain barrels and cisterns collect and store a portion of the rainwater from a roof. The most common type is a rain barrel which typically holds 55-gallons. Rain barrels can be added to any building with gutters and downspouts. They have an outlet that can be connected to a garden hose so the rainwater can be used to water landscaping plants, lawns, and gardens. All rain barrels require an overflow port.
Cisterns are sealed tanks that are larger than rain barrels and can collect water from several downspouts. The county provides a project manual for the installation of a rain barrel or a cistern and details the requirements to qualify for the rain barrel rebate or the cistern rebate.
RainScapes Rebates Program Details
The RainScapes Rebates Program is open to residents, institutions, and commercial properties in the county outside the cities of Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Takoma Park. Projects on residential properties could be eligible for rebates up to $7,500.
The county funds the rebate program through the Water Quality Protection Charge on property taxes.
County residents can complete a RainScapes application online.
More information about the program with examples of each type of project is available on the RainScapes.org website.
Visit RainScapes.org for more information about the program and help in selecting and planning a project. The website includes examples of RainScapes projects.
