Floyd County is proud home to three large rivers,

and also many streams, creeks and springs.

Our rich water resources provide us with quality drinking water, safe recreational areas, and abundant wildlife.  By doing our part to reduce stormwater pollution we can preserve our precious resource.

WHAT IS STORMWATER?  Stormwater is rain that flows directly into a storm sewer system which directs it UNTREATED into our creeks and rivers. "Non-point source pollution" or "polluted runoff" comes from many different activities in our daily lives like washing cars, fertilizing our lawns, constructing buildings or roads and painting our houses.

5 THINGS YOU CAN DO

• NEVER dump anything down storm drains or in streams
• Vegetate bare spots in your yard
• Use fertilizers sparingly
• Direct gutter downspouts away from paved surfaces
• Consider planting a rain garden

       -Businesses

             -Construction

                  -Individuals - kids, too!

Why Plant a Rain Garden?
Planting a rain garden reduces pollution while giving you a garden that is easy to maintain and needs little or no watering.  A rain garden on your property can also conserve water, reduce your monthly water bill and help protect our waterways all at the same time. All that is needed is some basic information, a little imagination and the space on your property to build a rain garden.

How Rain Gardens Work
A rain garden receives stormwater runoff water from roofs or other hard surfaces such as driveways. The rain garden holds or slows the runoff water so that it can soak into the ground instead of flowing into a street and down a storm drain. The plants, mulch and soil in a rain garden combine natural physical, biological and chemical processes to filter and help remove pollutants from runoff.

An effective rain garden depends on water infiltrating into the soil of the garden. Water should stand in a rain garden no longer than 24 hours after the rain stops, no more. Mosquitos cannot complete their breeding cycle in this length of time, so the rain garden should not increase mosquito populations at all.

How to Create a Rain Garden
Constructing a rain garden is fun and easy, but it requires lots of shovel work when built by hand. Click the links below to learn more about rain gardens and the step-by-step process of creating your own.  Rain gardens not only filter rainwater runoff, but also can be a beautiful and practical addition to your landscape.  Be creative in your choice of plants - if you enjoy birds and butterflies, choose plants for your rain garden that attract them. 

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