READY for Rain Gardens

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

What can you accomplish when you combine county resources, environmental and non-profit expertise and youth needing employment? A Howard County program called READY, Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth, can install 31 rain garden projects to remedy stormwater runoff that is detrimental to the soundness of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay from nearly 200,000 square feet of impervious surfaces.The program functioned both as a paid community service project and a training program for young adults ranging from 16-24 years old. Though funded by Howard County through the Office of Environmental Sustainability, this project was a unique partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, People Acting Together in Howard (PATH), Parks & People Foundation and the University of Maryland Sea Grant.A series of private institutional customers were identified with stormwater management issues including erosion or pooling. Remedies for those customers were then designed, managed and installed by this collective effort providing employment and environmental training to more than 30 young people.