Title
Resolution to Approve an Agreement with the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner to Support and Fund the 2013-2015 Rain Garden Program Partnership ($51,000.00 over two years; City Cost $25,500.00)
Memorandum
Your approval is requested for an agreement with the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office (WCWRC) to support and provide partial funding for the 2013-2015 Rain Garden Program Partnership. The total cost of the 2-year program will be $51,000.00, with the City funding 50% ($25,500.00) of the total. The City has had a long-standing relationship with the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office and supports their efforts to coordinate local units of government to improve water resources.
This agreement will result in a Rain Garden Assistance Program for the community jointly funded by the City and the WCWRC, which includes assisting landowners with installation of their own rain gardens, and a Master Rain Gardener Certification Program which will train and support individuals to design and install rain gardens. Exhibit A to the Agreement lists the Program components and their associated costs.
In 2011, the WCWRC proposed a Rain Garden Program Partnership with the City to assist both agencies in addressing water quality goals within the Huron River Watershed, including all creeksheds within the City. In 2011 and 2012, the agencies entered into one-year agreements with activities similar to those in this proposed two-year agreement.
Rain gardens installed upstream in the headwaters of a watershed are a very effective “best management practice” for stormwater management as they capture runoff from privately-owned impervious surfaces such as roofs and driveways and infiltrate it into the ground and vegetation rather than having it all drain into the City’s storm sewer system and move directly downstream, resulting in a positive impact on downstream water quality. Rain gardens are a viable method of infiltr...
Click here for full text