Rain Garden Stewards

The City of Bellingham works hard to keep our waterways clean. One approach is through Low Impact Development techniques such as rain gardens. The City offers a Rain Garden Stewards program to businesses that want to help care for one of 63 bio-retention facilities – or rain gardens – installed throughout downtown and the Columbia Neighborhood. These facilities help treat and infiltrate stormwater that would otherwise flow into Whatcom Creek and Bellingham Bay untreated.

Increased development and impervious surfaces like roads, rooftops, and parking lots reduce the amount of water that can be absorbed by the ground and increases the amount of pollution that washes off these surfaces into nearby stormwater collection systems and ultimately into our rivers, lakes, streams, and ocean. Stormwater is not typically diverted to a water treatment facility, which means that pollutants like car oils, grease, and fertilizers are picked up by stormwater and carried into local waterways.

One natural way to reduce this problem is to use bio-retention facilities, commonly referred to as rain gardens. These gardens are shallow, generally flat-bottomed depressions, designed to collect rainwater and allow selected plants, bacteria, and soils to naturally filter and remove pollutants as they soak into the ground. Rain gardens can increase water absorption into the ground by an estimated 30% compared to conventional urban landscapes. Not only do rain gardens provide a line of defense for our waterways by increasing ground water absorption and reducing stormwater pollution, but they also serve as attractive landscape features in urban areas.

Thank you to our current Rain Garden Stewards for their participation in the program:

  • Aslan Brewery
  • Back in Motion
  • Bellingham and Whatcom County Housing Authority
  • Binyon Vision Center
  • Chuckanut Builders
  • Ciao Thyme
  • Firestone Complete Autocare
  • Garden Street United Methodist Church
  • Great Harvest Bread Co.
  • HUB Northwest
  • Lydia Place
  • Natural Way Chiropractic
  • Opportunity Council
  • Peace of Mind Cannabis
  • Peak Sustainability
  • Shake & Shine Canine Wash and Deli
  • Stan’s Auto Body
  • Studio Galactica
  • The Velvet Rope Hair Studio
  • Toyota of Bellingham
  • TranTech Engineering, LLC
  • Trove Cannabis and Coffee
  • Unlimited Auto Service
  • Vital Climbing Gym
  • Whatcom Council of Governments
  • Whatcom Education Credit Union (WECU)

The City is responsible for looking after rain gardens as part of the City’s stormwater collection system. City Stormwater Maintenance crews will visit rain garden sites periodically to make sure they are functioning. Rain Garden Stewards support these efforts by doing basic maintenance activities at the site and reporting issues to City staff.

Becoming a Rain Garden Steward is voluntary, and Stewards can choose to spend as much time as they want caring for their rain garden. Stewards are provided with a 5-gallon tool bucket that includes a laminated maintenance plan, reflective vest, gardening gloves, a hori hori (serrated digging knife), and hand pruners. They also receive a window cling and wall certificate to display in their business or residence.

As a Rain Garden Steward, you will partner with the City to help with simple maintenance activities like picking up trash and debris, making sure curb openings and overflow drains are unobstructed, and pulling weeds. You can also add or replace plants in the garden. These activities keep stormwater and pollutants out of Whatcom Creek while maintaining attractive streetscapes for the community. Anytime you suspect your rain garden isn’t functioning properly or needs special maintenance, please contact the City stormwater crews by submitting a SeeClickFix request or calling (360) 778-7700.

Becoming a Rain Garden Steward is voluntary. To learn more about the program and which rain gardens are in need of a steward, please email NReducation@cob.org.

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