Funding available to support rain garden installations for Charleston Rainproof Pilot Project
October 22, 2020
Grants in the amount of $200 to support the installation of rain gardens are now available to city of Charleston residents, businesses and organizations through funding provided by Keep South Carolina Beautiful.
Why it matters: Rain gardens are a proven, effective way to reduce flooding, soaking up stormwater runoff and diverting it from central stormwater drainage systems that can become overwhelmed during periods of heavy rain. Additionally, rain gardens help to filter pollutants out of runoff before they enter storm drains.
Rain gardens installed with this grant money will provide useful data to the community on the effectiveness of this stormwater mitigation technique, and will inform future strategies throughout the city.
Funding details: This round of funding, which totals $2,800, is available for projects installed in fall 2020, ideally by early November. The deadline to apply for funding is October 31, 2020.
Grant money is available to applicants on a first come, first served basis, and a wait list will be created to gather additional interest for future funding opportunities.
This funding opportunity is being offered as part of the city’s Charleston Rainproof program, an initiative grown from the Dutch Dialogues process, which seeks to engage citizens and business owners in a community-wide action plan to help make Charleston less flood prone.
The program is composed of initiatives which utilize both public and private spaces to capture rain water and address the effects of increasingly frequent and heavy rainfall.
How to apply: Please visit www.charleston-sc.gov/rainproof and complete the registration form found at the “APPLY HERE” link. In the form, select “Rain Garden Implementation” under “Type of Project(s).”
Upon registration, applicants will receive a confirmation email containing additional information.
Resources:
- A thorough guide to building and utilizing rain gardens, provided by Clemson Extension, is available here: www.clemson.edu/extension/raingarden/clemson_rain_garden_manual_2016.pdf
- For more information, including example projects and additional resources, please visit www.charleston-sc.gov/rainproof.
