You are invited to compete for prizes while making your property attractive and protecting the quality of your local lakes and streams.
Enter Now, Registration is Free

Rain Garden at the Library in Williston

A rain garden is a bowl-shaped garden designed to capture and absorb rainfall and snowmelt (collectively referred to as “stormwater”). When stormwater runs off impervious surfaces such as parking lots, roofs, compacted soils, and roads, it accumulates pollutants and delivers them to a nearby lake or river either directly or via a storm drain. Stormwater pollutants typically include sediment; nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus); bacteria from animal waste; and oil, grease, and heavy metals from cars. Stormwater also causes increased flooding, which erodes stream banks resulting in additional problems. However, if captured by a rain garden, stormwater soaks into the ground and recharges the groundwater at a rate 30% greater than that of a typical lawn. Ultimately, if we all work together to create landscape features that absorb the stormwater, we can restore and help preserve the waterways that make Vermont so beautiful.

The Rooftop to River Rain Garden Contest is a fun way to beautify your property and protect and enhance the quality of your local streams and lakes at the same time.

How to Enter your Free Registration. Download and print the Registration Form (a pdf file). The registration deadline has been extended to August 31, 2008. Fill out the registration form and send it by mail or fax, or drop it off at the office of:

Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District
1193 South Brownell Rd, Suite 35, Williston, VT 05495
Phone: 802-865-7895 x104
Fax: 802-865-7947
Email: Ashley.Lidman@vt.nacdnet.net

Each registered rain garden contestant will receive:

1. An invitation to a FREE Rain Garden Workshop.
   The next workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 30th, from 5:30-8:30pm in Burlington at the Francis J. O'Brien Water Treatment Facility. There will be a lecture at 5pm and we will install a rain garden at 6:30pm. The Water Treatment Facility is located at the end of Lake Street, next to the Moran Plant. There is free parking at this location after 5pm.  If you plan to attend, you MUST contact Emma Melvin at 802-859-3086 x305 or emelvin@uvm.edu to let her know that you will be participating. Other workshops are currently scheduled for August. Please check back for details.
   


2. A published copy of the new 2008 Vermont Rain Garden Manual and Plant List Insert. However, these can be downloaded for free by clicking on The Manual and The Plant List Insert in the following table.
   
   

   Vermont Rain Garden Manual with Plant List Free Download
   The Manual (a pdf file, size 2.2Mb) 20 Pages, Full Color Prints on 8.5x11 paper	The Plant List Insert (a pdf file, size .2Mb) (Pages 11-14 of the manual) Prints on 11x17 paper. (This can be viewed without printing if unable to print the large size paper.)



3. Personal on-site technical guidance from a local expert. Free technical support will be provided by Emma Melvin of the UVM Extension. To schedule a site visit, please contact her at emelvin@uvm.edu or 802-859-3086 x305.

Judging Criteria: Six division winners will be chosen based on the categories below:

Prizes: Contest prizes may include gift certificates, cash, merchandise, and services donated from local merchants and foundations. Actual prizes to be announced soon.

Timeline:

August 31: Registration deadline
Week of September 1st: Judging period  
Mid-September: Award ceremony

The cost of a rain garden varies depending on:

• who does the work,
• the size of the garden,
• where the plants come from,
• the planting density.

If you purchase the plants and materials and do all the labor, the cost will be roughly $4-$6 per sq ft.
If you hire a professional to design and install the garden, it will cost roughly $10-$14 per sq ft.

The property owner will be responsible for the installation costs and maintenance of the rain garden.

Requirement: The property owner will be required to sign an agreement stating that the garden will function as a rain garden for a minimum of two years.

Photographs: Contestants are required to take before and after photos of their rain garden as well as a few to record the installation process.

Survey: Registered contestants will receive a survey to help us learn about the successes and obstacles they faced when designing and installing their rain garden. The survey information will be used to design incentives that will make it easier and more convenient for community members to install rain gardens in the future.

Lead Agencies and Sponsors:

Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District
University of Vermont Extension
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
South Burlington High School