Puyallup Rain Gardens
Puyallup's Rain Garden Program has educated hundreds about stormwater
pollution prevention and green infrastructure techniques. Since the
program inception in 2009, over 10 million gallons of stormwater have
been disconnected from the stormwater system to be managed on-site.
Rain gardens are the main focus of this education and outreach program. These gardens are not just pretty landscape features, but are small stormwater facilities that collect, store and filter rain water and stormwater runoff from your lawn, rooftop, sidewalk, driveway and other impervious surfaces. Designed as shallow, sunken planting beds with rain garden soil, runoff flows into them from nearby hard surfaces and connected downspouts from your house.
Program Status - updated August 2019
Funding for rain gardens, permeable pavement and rain barrels is still available in the 2019 program. Interested resident may apply to the program by sending an application to pmarrinan@ci.puyallup.wa.us. If we run out of funds for the year then you will be placed on the waitlist. If funding becomes available, those on the waitlist will be given priority based on date of application.
The wait list restarts each year - for example if you were on the 2018 wait list, you must re-submit your application using the most-recent forms.
Join the Program
Puyallup's Rain Garden Program includes many green stormwater infrastructure elements that help manage stormwater where it falls including:
- permeable pavements
- rain barrels
- rain gardens
Participants in the cost-share program can install a rain garden or permeable pavement at their Puyallup home. Read more about this program (PDF) or download the application (PDF). For questions or more information, please contact Stormwater Engineering via email.
Purpose of Puyallup's Cost-Share Rain Garden Program
Rain gardens manage rain where it falls, rather than letting it flow into the storm drains. While storm drains are designed to collect and carrying stormwater away, they do not treat the water in any form before it is channeled to our streams, lakes and rivers.
Puyallup's Cost-Share Rain Garden Program provides opportunities to homeowners to install GSI at their home, reducing their impervious footprint in our watershed and helping to reduce stormwater runoff.
Visit Some Puyallup Rain Gardens
Want to take a tour of rain gardens in Puyallup? Use our Google Map that shows locations of all our program installations. (Please admire private-property rain gardens from the street or sidewalk)
Read the Western Washington Rain Garden Handbook (PDF) to learn more about rain garden design and upkeep.
Puyallup's Rain Garden Program includes many green stormwater infrastructure elements that help manage stormwater where it falls including rain gardens, rain barrels, and permeable pavements. Read about one of our seven demonstration clusters around Puyallup by clicking links in the left hand column.