Help Your Yard Protect Water Quality Communitywide
Rain Garden Grants Available
March 16, 2021
Tallahassee has a beautiful natural environment, and residents can help preserve it by using sustainable gardening practices in their yards. Rain gardens, specifically, help protect local water resources, such as lake, sinkholes and streams. Because rain gardens are so important for local water quality, the City of Tallahassee’s Think About Personal Pollution (TAPP) program is once again providing grants to help property owners build a rain garden of their own.
Before applying, residents are asked to read “Rain Gardens: A How-to Manual for Homeowners, Your Personal Contribution to Cleaner Water,” which is available online at TAPPwater.org.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Grants, not to exceed $175 each, will be awarded. All candidates must submit a general information page, rain garden sketch and checklist before the May 31, 2021, deadline.
Once the rain garden is successfully installed, reimbursement for the amount of the actual documented cost (up to $175) should be received within 45 days. Only owners of property located within the Tallahassee City limits are eligible, and first-time applicants will receive priority consideration. Rain garden grant applications can be found at TAPPwater.org.
A rain garden is a landscaped area that is designed to capture and hold excess rain water for a short period of time, allowing it to soak into the soil and recharge the groundwater. Rain gardens also help slow the flow of water from a yard during and after a storm, which helps reduce water pollution to area waterbodies. Planting native and adapted plants is typically recommended as they are more tolerant of the local climate, soil and water conditions.
Rain garden grants are one of the City’s many sustainability-focused efforts. If you have questions about the application process, contact TAPP coordinator Courtney Schoen at (850) 891-8754 or Courtney.Schoen@Talgov.com. To learn more about small personal changes that can help keep local lakes, sinks and streams cleaner, visit TAPPwater.org.
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