Coastal Georgia Rain Garden Program
Rain Gardens are shallow, landscaped depressions that capture and filter stormwater and allow it to soak back into the ground. They reduce flooding from runoff and treat pollutants before they enter storm drains or waterways. They also conserve water and provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.
With the goal of improving stormwater management and protecting Georgia’s water resources, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant launched the Coastal Georgia Rain Garden Program in 2019.
As part of the program, several resources have been developed for residents or small businesses interested installing rain gardens in coastal communities.
Resources
Rain Gardens in Coastal Georgia: Guide for Residents
Provides information about how to design rain gardens, select appropriate plants and maintain these effective stormwater management tools.
This 2-hour virtual workshop for homeowners, businesses and master gardeners covers the installation, design and maintenance of rain gardens in coastal Georgia.
Broader Impacts
In addition to these resources, the program has focused on cultivating connections with coastal communities through a rain garden incentive program offered in 2020 that allowed residents to apply for a stipend to help offset the cost of installing a rain garden.
Six property owners applied for this funding and received technical support from Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant extension specialists who assisted with rain garden design and identifying native plants. Many participants are members of the Urbana/Perry Park neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia, which is known to regularly flood during heavy rain events, leaving residents unable to safely navigate the streets around their homes.
These newly installed rain gardens, which range in size from 25-square-feet to several thousand square feet, are treating runoff from over 7,600 square feet of impervious cover and filtering over 203,000 gallons of stormwater runoff annually.
Questions
For general questions about the Coastal Georgia Rain Garden Program, or to find out how to join these efforts, please contact:
Jessica Brown at 912-264-7341 or email jtrbrown@uga.edu.
The Program is financed in part through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Provisions of Section 319(h) of the federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended.
