RainScaping in Southeast Michigan – Get on the Map!
Do you have a rain garden, rain barrel, pollinator garden, newly planted tree, or other RainScaping project? Share your project on the map! If you were a part of Rain Gardens to the Rescue, Master Rain Gardener, or just did these on your own, we want to know and share the impact across the region that YOU are doing for our rivers!
Step-by-step How to Guide for Enter Project on Map
Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, in partnership with the Friends of the Rouge and Washtenaw County’s GIS program, has launched an interactive map that records and displays residential projects that capture and filter stormwater runoff.
Soak it up! A clean water future for southeast Michigan takes thousands of people just like you working to bring lawns to life with rain gardens, trees, habitat gardens for pollinators, rain barrels, and more.
Stormwater runoff is a major cause of water pollution. It carries pollutants like trash, bacteria, and heavy metals through traditional storm sewers into local waterways. Current regional rain gardens can capture up to 11.6 million gallons of stormwater runoff after a rainstorm. Instead of contributing pollution to the creek, that rain is soaked into the ground and filtered by plants instead of directly entering traditional stormwater systems. That is the same volume as 2,900 tanker trucks lined up – a line of trucks that would stretch for 44 miles!
Please submit your project so we can connect it with other projects across southeast Michigan to showcase our collective efforts to protect local creeks, rivers, and lakes. Your efforts will inspire others to jump in – and you can find projects to get inspired, yourself!
Average Submission Time: 10 minutes
Project Types shown on the map:
- Rain Garden
- Native Habitat/ Pollinator/ Wildflower Garden
- Tree Planting or Preservation
- Rain Barrel or Cistern
- Healthy Lawn Care Practices
- Downspout Disconnect
- Natural Shoreline Restoration
- Permeable/ Porous Pavement (Sidewalk, Driveway, Patio, etc.)
- Green Roof
- Depave- Remove Asphalt or Concrete
Map Founding Partners:
Contributing Partners:
- Huron River Watershed Council
- Clinton River Watershed Council
- River Raisin Watershed Council
- Friends of the Detroit River
- Huron-Clinton Metroparks
- Oakland County Water Resources
- Washtenaw County Conservation District
Sponsors:
- City of Ann Arbor
- Bosch Foundation
- Master Gardener Association of Wayne County
Supporters:
- Master Gardeners of Washtenaw County
- Wild Ones – Ann Arbor
Live in Detroit? Check out the Detroit Stormwater Hub map for additional practices across the city and share your project!
Questions? Email RainSmart@therouge.org
