The City of Seattle has initiated the Rainwise program offering financial incentives to home owners in certainneighborhoods to create rain gardens and cisterns to reduce storm water run off.
Homeowners can get $4 per square foot of roof area served by a new cistern and/or Rain Garden system. To qualify, you must be redirecting 400 square feet or more of roof space, you must be within the qualifying neighborhoods, and you must have the new features installed by a certified contractor (Cascadian Edible Landscapes is one of them).
End of Summer Special: Receive $200 worth of rain garden plants for free with any installation completed by January 31st 2012!
The program is starting in Ballard, and may later expand to other parts of the city. To see if you are in the qualifying part of Ballard, please refer to this map. The area shown in yellow qualifies for the subsidy by geography.
HOW THE PROCESS WORKS
1. PRELIMINARY CONVERSATION to determine eligible space for rain garden. Please see map above
2. EDIBLE/RAIN GARDEN CONSULTATION. Thanks for inviting CEL over! We will take some time with you to envision your new space and investigate the opportunities to reduce rainwater run off and to install cisterns and/or rain gardens. We’ll take accurate measurements for design. ($75 per hour minimum 2 hours, this one time fee also applies to meeting times with SPU).
3. SOIL INFILTRATION TEST: We will do a Soil Infiltration test; client does a 2nd test with our guidance over the phone. This information will tell us the viability of the project, as well as the rate at which the City of Seattle will subsidize the project
4. If you request during the consultation, WE WILL PUT TOGETHER A DESIGN and CREATE A PROJECT ESTIMATE: This includes a plant list to meet size and space requirements. Design rate is $75/hour and typical designs + plant lists take 3-6 hours to complete.
5. 1ST MEETING WITH Seattle Public Utilities (SPU): CEL meets with SPU and Homeowner at homeowners house to review the design and implementation plan for your rain garden/cistern
6. INSTALLATION: CEL Builds Your Beautiful Rain Garden/ Installs cisterns
7. SECOND MEETING SPU: Follow up meeting with SPU to review installation
8. REBATE APPLICATION: You, the homeowner, complete a rebate application form and submit it to the city, using the instructions on the form.
9. MONEY MONEY MONEY: CEL invoices you for the work performed; SPU sends rebate check for up to $4/ square foot of roof area redirected, no more than 70% of total project cost.
10. REJOICE: Host a dinner party to celebrate new rain garden!
VIDEOS ABOUT RAIN GARDENS
(University of S. Dakota)
If you are in the qualifying area, and would like to start the process, pleasecontact us. Thank you.