Rain Gardens - Natural Beauty, and Good for Your River

In Washtenaw County we are blessed with wonderful natural resources and people who can help us conserve and protect these resources. The Office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner continues to build on a 2005 grant funded project, to assist homeowners in creating and installing a rain garden on their property.

During the dog days of summer, we often spend many hours and a lot of money working in our yards and doing whatever we can to help our plants survive Michigan’s changeable weather. With thoughtful selection of plants and design, a beautiful garden can make use of rainwater, reduce labor and enable the plants to thrive.

Think about it, one inch of rainfall provides approximately 600 gallons of water when it’s captured from a 1,000 square foot drainage area – your roof or driveway, for example.  In Washtenaw County, spring time is our rainy season and we may get several inches of rain over a few days or weeks.  In July, during those super hot days, we may get no rain.  So, with a good selection of native plants and other species which have adapted to these weather conditions, we can create a low maintenance, drought tolerant and environmentally helpful garden.  A well designed rain garden is easy to care for, beautiful throughout the season, and will help to keep our rivers clean.

The Office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner, Janis Bobrin and her staff work with several families each year to design and install rain gardens on their property.  Environmental Manager Harry Sheehan has worked with homeowners to plan, design and install over 50 rain gardens. The result has been residents all over the county, happy with their new gardens, while Allen Creek receives less fertilizers, chemicals and other harmful runoff.

This independent collection of rain gardens is capable of capturing 25,000 gallons of water from 1 inch of rainfall. Fran Alexander, an avid gardener who has worked with the County on several projects, is also an Allen Creekshed resident on the west side of Ann Arbor. Fran planted a rain garden in her backyard and told us, "The people from the Office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources were great.  We wound up selecting a few different ferns and other plants. For me, it was an easy choice. I had an opportunity to experiment with a new way of gardening, and its a great way to help the environment".

After 4 years, the program is still running. If you’re interested in getting help with the design and implementation of a rain garden, or would like to learn more about this effort, contact Harry Sheehan at the Office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources.  Also watch this website during the next several months we will have updates on our program, and pictures of new gardens and some new design plans.