City Launches Rain Catchers Project - come get your free stuff

One of the defining features of our neighborhood is the Ellerbee Creek, part of the Ellerbee Creek Watershed that stretches from  Falls through much of North Durham. Unfortunately, over the years the streams feeding this watershed have become among the polluted in the state, as described in this excellent the history of the Ellerbee by John Schelp on the website the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association.

The Ellerbee Creek Watershed Association has done a fantastic job raising awareness about this critical natural resource, and now the City of Durham has began a major imitative to improve the water quality in surrounding streams and lakes.

This new initiative, dubbed Rain Catchers, seeks to provide free rain gardens, trees, rain-barrels and downspout disconnection to residents of Old West Durham, Trnity Heights, Trinity Park, Walltown, and Watts Hospital-Hillandale neighborhoods.

The neighborhoods covered by the pilot program

Some of you may have already received a mailing describing this project. It is really a win-win situation: the city gives you a choice of free native plants, rain-barrels, native trees, or rain gardens in exchange for your pledge to actually install those on your property. To help the process along, there is a bidding system whereby you can ask for a small amount of money to help you defray installation costs. Because the budget is limited -- and you are getting this stuff for free --the lower your bid, the more likely you are to get the requested supplies.

The city benefits by reducing the amount of harmful runoff to the long-suffering riverbed and you, the resident, get to lower your water bill, improve the appearance of your yard, and save water and the environment in the process.

If you want to participate but have not received a flyer, or have any other questions about the program, head over the the Stormwater services facebook page or email Laura Webb Smith, public education coordinator for the City’s Stormwater Services Division.

The News Release describing the program in greater detail is reprinted after the break.

	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@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@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.