[Durham INC] Durham Offers Free Rain Gardens, Trees & Cisterns

[Blalock, Amy]

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

 

News Release

 

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov

 

 

 

For Immediate Release: February 6, 2012

 

 

City of Durham Offers Residents Free Rain Gardens, Trees, and Cisterns

City Launches Two Pilot Projects to Improve the Quality of Local Creeks

 

DURHAM, N.C. - City of Durham residents in neighborhoods from Old West
Durham to Woodcroft can now benefit from two pilot projects that provide
free rain gardens and other "backyard" stormwater practices that enhance
property value while improving water quality in surrounding streams and
lakes.

 

Residents who live in the Third Fork Creek watershed can now apply for
free rain gardens. Some of the neighborhoods included in the watershed
are St. Teresa, Plum Street, Collier Drive, Forest Hills, Rockwood, Hope
Valley, Hope Valley Farms, Sunningdale, and Woodcroft. A map of the
neighborhoods included in the pilot project is available on the City's
website at www.DurhamNC.gov/Stormwater. Applications are due by March 5,
2012.

 

In March, the City is also launching the Rain Catchers project to
provide free rain gardens, trees, cisterns for capturing and reusing
rainwater, native plantings, and downspout disconnections to residents
in a section of the South Ellerbe Creek watershed. Some of the
neighborhoods include Old West Durham and Trinity Heights as well as
parts of Walltown, Trinity Park, and Watts Hospital-Hillandale. Eligible
residents will receive a mailing that describes the project and how to
participate. Participants may receive a small monetary incentive in
exchange for signing an agreement that allows the City of Durham access
to the stormwater practice for installation and inspections. 

 

"Both of these pilot projects are a great service to Durham residents,"
said Marvin Williams, director of the City's Public Works Department.
"Rain gardens add a beautiful landscape feature and keep polluted runoff
from reaching local streams. If these pilot projects are successful,
they will help the City meet its nutrient management requirements for
Falls and Jordan Lakes." 

 

Both projects are funded through grants from the North Carolina Division
of Water Quality and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Rain
Catchers includes monitoring South Ellerbe Creek to measure the impact
of the stormwater practices. 

 

For more information about the City's stormwater projects, visit 
www.DurhamNC.gov/Stormwater or "like" the City's Stormwater Services
Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DurhamNCStormwater. Residents may also
contact Laura Webb Smith, public education coordinator for the City's
Stormwater Services Division, at (919) 560-4326, ext. 30235 or via email
at Laura.Smith at DurhamNC.gov.

 

About the Stormwater Services Division

The Stormwater Services Division with the City's Public Works Department
is responsible for enforcing stormwater ordinances and regulations.
Activities include drainage design and plan review; inspecting,
maintaining and replacing City-owned drainage systems; drainage
investigations; floodplain management; education and outreach; stream
monitoring; and watershed master planning and restoration. For more
information, visit www.DurhamNC.gov/Stormwater.

 

About the Public Works Department

The City of Durham Public Works Department provides a wide range of
services, including street maintenance, engineering design, development
review and stormwater maintenance. The department also oversees street
resurfacing and sidewalk projects as well as plans and executes the
City's winter weather and natural disaster plans. For more information,
visit http://DurhamNC.gov/ich/op/pwd/Pages/Home.aspx. 

 

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