Silver Beach landowners can reduce run-off pollution by making rain water seep deep

Watershed residents can prevent rain water from polluting Lake Whatcom by reducing run-off on their property.
Silver Beach residents can decrease phosphorus-loading in Lake Whatcom by taking proactive steps on their property to collect rain-water and prevent it from running off of their land.
It is estimated that as much as 55 percent of rain-water in an urban watershed becomes run-off because it flows off of driveways, roofs and other solid surfaces instead of seeping into the ground.
Bellingham Environmental Educator Kym Fedale said there are numerous actions watershed residents can take to reduce their households’ storm-water pollution.
“[Depending on the property,] it could be as simple as [using rain barrels] or, [planting] native plants…removing a lawn section and replacing it with native plants…or something a little bit more expensive like a rain garden, porous concrete, or pavers,” Fedale said.
Fedale said the main objective of every storm-water conservation project is to encourage rain-water to seep into the ground.
Bloedel-Donovan Park uses rain gardens to reduce pollution
In 2003 the city of Bellingham Public Works Department installed two rain gardens at opposite ends of the Bloedel-Donovan Park parking lot and one behind City Hall. Rain gardens are specialized super-gardens that are engineered to reduce storm-water pollution through natural infiltration and pollution-uptake.
Bellingham Environmental Planner Kim Weil said rain gardens are designed to accommodate a high volume of storm-water and may be used to treat phosphorus.
“[A typical rain garden is] excavated about 18 inches deep but they have to be excavated 36-48 inches to capture phosphorus,” Weil said. “Then they put gravel in the bottom and cover it with fetter clot…the soil is amended so it’s loose with sand and organics, not clay because clay doesn’t let water [pass through] and finally several different native plant species are planted [depending on the garden’s intake.”
Weil said there is a formula that is used to determine how large a rain garden needs to be to tolerate the amount of rain-water it receives. Rain gardens may be engineered to accommodate the run-off from a home’s gutter system and/or driveway, and may be the best storm-water solution for some Silver Beach landowners Weil said.
According to the 2007 Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington Homeowners, installing a rain garden capable of treating phosphorus would cost $1,410.00 and take up approximately 250 square feet. This estimate, adjusted to $1457.33 for inflation, does not account for labor or planning but it does factor in the cost of: excavation, soil amendments, hauling, plant material and drainage mechanisms.
Installing a rain garden is a more expensive storm-water management project than planting a native plant garden bed, but it is an effective and fairly low-maintenance solution Fedale said.
Recent legislation focuses on controlling storm water pollution
Weil said the government is funding programs and passing legislation—such as the 2009 Silver Beach Ordinance amendment—to encourage water in the watershed to stay on-site instead of polluting the lake.
Weil said current development laws are designed to decrease storm-water pollution and mimic natural forested conditions. The Silver Beach Ordinance requires landowners to maintain a percentage of forested land and/or use engineered technology to control storm-water run-off.
Fedale said that Silver Beach homeowners who are interested in storm water management projects will have more educational resources and financial incentives available to them in the coming months, as recently grant-funded programs— like the Homeowners Incentive Program and Silver Beach Creek Pilot Project—are implemented.

A video produced by King County describing rain gardens and other storm-water management solutions. How to build a rain garden during the last four minutes.

Rhododendrons are a native plant.