
Stormwater Grant Eligible Practices
Preventative Measures
Rain Gardens
- Small, landscaped depressions that are filled a mix of native soil and compost and planted with trees, shrubs, and other garden-like vegetation
- Designed to temporarily store stormwater runoff from rooftops, driveways, patios, and other areas around your home while reducing runoff rates and pollutant loads in your local watershed
- Adds beauty and function to your landscape
- Typically used in areas that drain 5,000 square feet or less
Bioretention
- Rain gardens but with underdrain systems and engineered soils (comprised of mainly sand mixed with compost and top soil)
- Typically used on properties with larger drainage areas (more than 5,000 square feet)
- Found in non-residential settings like parks and commercial parking lots
- Helps reduce runoff by soaking up excess rainwater using plants
Cisterns
- Store rainwater for later use
- Collects rainwater from a downspout system, screened to remove trash and leaves, and conveyed to a storage container for subsequent use
- Stored rainwater is for non-potable water use only
- Can provide significant reductions in storm water runoff rates, volumes, and pollutant loads from residential sites
- Rain barrels may be part of an overall stormwater management system however, they typically do not provide enough volume alone
Downspout Disconnect
- Can discharge directly onto driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, or other impervious surfaces
- Disconnecting downspouts involves redirecting these flows onto lawns, planting beds, or other pervious surfaces
- Reduce runoff by allowing roof water to infiltrate into the native soils instead of rushing into local streams
Modified French Drains
- Shallow trench excavations filled with stone that are designed to intercept and temporarily store stormwater runoff until it infiltrates into the soil
- Can provide significant reductions in stormwater runoff and pollutant loads
- Well-suited to receive rooftop runoff and can be used to receive stormwater runoff from other small impervious areas
- For residential applications, a Modified French Drain must be daylighted at its end to allow for overflow of larger storms
Dry Wells
- Comprised of seepage tanks set in the ground and surrounded with stone that are design to intercept and temporarily store stormwater runoff until it infiltrates into the surrounding soil
- Well-suites to receive rooftop runoff entering the tank via an inlet grate (shown right) or a direct downspout connection
- When properly sized and installed, dry wells can provide significant reductions in stormwater runoff and pollutant loads
Pavement Removal and Revegetation
- Removing existing impervious surfaces (patios, tennis courts, decks, etc.) and replaving these areas with landscaped beds or lawn
- Allows for rainwater to soak into the ground which reduces the amount of stormwater runoff from the property
- Swimming pool removal is not eligible
Permeable Pavement
- Can be used in certain circumstances to reduce the amount of runoff from a property by adding or replacing existing concrete or other impervious surfaces with permeable pavers, porous concrete, or other practices that allow for water to soak into the soils below
- Works best in flatter areas
Stream Buffer Planting
- Vegetated areas next to creeks and streams that help prevent channel erosion and improve water quality
- Act as a filter for the surrounding area
- Involves replacing lawn with deep-rooted trees, shrubs, and ground cover typically found on a native streambank
- Grassed lawns within buffers provide very little structural support for stream banks due to shallow roots, and usually result in erosion that can eat away at backyards
- Lawns can also contribute to water quality issues due to runoff or fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and pet waste
Pet Waste Station
- Pet waste is a major contributor to impaired water quality in streams
- City seeks to install additional pet waste stations that can be publicly accessed and maintained
Reactive Measures
Streambank Erosion Stabilization (natural or armored)
- Common in developed areas and prevalent on properties without a healthy stream buffer
- The more dense the natural vegetation is next yo your stream, the less erosion you’ll see within the channel
- During winter, cuttings from trees that thrive in wet conditions (ex: willows, silky dogwood, elderberry, etc.) can be driven into eroding stream banks and within a couple years will grow into trees with roots that will help to prevent future erosion
- In some scenarios, rip rap (large granite rock) may be used in conjunction with live stake pkanting, which helps to protect the live stakes while they take root
- Rip rap used alone (without planting) can be effective but may also worsen channel erosion or wash away during heavy rain events
Drainage Easement Erosion Stabilization
- Can occur downstream of a stormwater pipe system
- Eroded ditches can get worse with each major rain event, depositing large amounts of sediment downstream and potentially impacting the pipe system; these areas typically are located on properties and in hard-to- reach areas, making it difficult for one property owner to manage repairs
- Effective ways of reducing erosion in these drainage easements include:
- backfilling eroded areas with soil and using reinforcement matting and blankets to establish vegetation
- using rip rap to fill in the eroded areas to prevent future scouring
- extending the pipe system and stabilizing the new end of pipe