Rain Gardens to the Rescue

We thank you for another great year of rain gardens! Generous support received through GlobalGiving and with funding from the Erb Family Foundation, Friends of the Rouge awarded nine (9) rain gardens to Detroit area residents participating in the Rain Gardens to the Rescue program in 2022. Installation of these rain gardens took place in August and September at the homes of residents who had completed the five-part training course throughout June where they learned about rain gardens and how to install and maintain the garden. Rain gardens are a low cost solution to urban stormwater pollution. Overflows of the combined sewer system in the region are a major source of water pollution in the Rouge and Detroit Rivers and the Great Lakes. 

Rain gardens, designed by participants and with support from stormwater experts, have replaced 1,787 square feet of lawn grass and capture rainwater runoff from 3,249 square feet of impervious roofs. These gardens store 5,673 gallonsof water every time it rains, reducing localized flooding and preventing excess sewage overflows into our local waterways! The average garden size was 130 square feet, showing how mighty an impact even a small rain garden can have. In total, these gardens have the potential of managing over 60,000 gallons of stormwater ever year. Since 2011, we have installed over 100 rain gardens across the City of Detroit that are helping towards Friends of the Rouge’s goal of 5,000 rain gardens across Southeast Michigan by 2035!

With generous donations through the GlobalGiving campaign, Friends of the Rouge was able to support two (2) residential rain gardens in Highland Park, a community surrounded by Detroit city boundaries and share the combined sewer and stormwater system. Although Highland Park is similarly impacted by stormwater as Detroit, the program’s main funding excluded these neighborhoods. Because of your support, we were able to bring rain gardens to more communities, engage and educate more residents, and increase the green space connectivity across the region with these additional gardens in Highland Park.

Angela, who is a Highland Park resident, is very passionate about protecting people and the environment. She had wanted a rain garden for 10 years and was very excited to install one of her own through this program. “Each class session helped me to learn why rain gardens are an important addition to any landscape, how they support pollinators and birds, and how rain gardens can help mitigate stormwater runoff. I also learned how to calculate a rain garden area, the best rain garden plants native to Michigan, and different ways to design my rain garden. I am excited to see my rain garden blooming for years to come.” Angela is very active in her neighborhood and the Spanish-speaking community in Highland Park and Detroit. Friends of the Rouge is working with her to coordinate an introductory workshop about Rain Gardens in Spanish for the community in early 2023!

In 2023 and 2024, Friends of the Rouge, with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will focus on underrepresented neighborhoods in Metro Detroit that receive disproportionately greater flooding events and other environmental pollution from nearby industry and whose residents are majority persons of color and low income households in Southwest Detroit, River Rouge and Southend Dearborn communities. The program will expand its audience by providing materials in Spanish and Arabic in addition to English.

These gardens will include smaller scale residential gardens in addition to several large-scale gardens at local houses of worship and nonprofits. The larger gardens will aid in educating the community on green infrastructure, involve neighbors in the design and installation of the gardens, inspire them to install their own gardens, and have a community green space to connect with nature. Thank you for your ongoing support of Rain Gardens to the Rescue!

Links:

• Rain Gardens to the Rescue Homepage