Riverscape Rain Gardens for Clean Water
Transform your yard into a beautiful, native rain garden to conserve and clean water
Riverscaping at Mosier School in the Gorge
When it rains hard and you see water running off the streets into storm drains, chances are it’s headed straight toward the river or to an over-flowing sewage treatment plant. That means any trash, lawn fertilizers and pesticides, oil and grease etc. can go straight into the nearest stream or river. You can help the problem by redirecting run-off from your gutter into a ‘rain garden.’ Rain gardens (or bioswales) help filter water, cleaning it up while it seeps slowly into groundwater and trickles downhill.
Native plants help conserve water as they are well-adapted to the climate and do not need to be watered as much as most lawns do, plus they provide good habitat for birds, squirrels, and insects. If you must have a lawn, there are soft, green grasses that are more drought resistant.
We have helped implement several demonstration gardens in the Portland/Vancouver area up through the Columbia Gorge and are always looking for volunteers to help us construct, plant, and maintain these sites. If you're willing to get your hands dirty and have some fun, CRK's Riverscaping projects are a way you can get involved to immediately help decrease stormwater pollution while creating cutting edge demonstration projects for pollution control.
Take a Rain Garden Tour
- Mosier, OR - Student rain garden at Mosier School on 1204 1st Ave planted in 2006
- Hood River, OR - Columbia Riverkeeper's native rain garden on 724 Oak St. planted in 2006
- Hood River, OR - Native Rain garden at local business on the corner of 13th and State St. planted in 2008
- Portland, OR - Student rain and vegetable garden at Joseph Meek Professional Technical High School on 4039 NE Alberta Court, planted in 2007
- Portland, OR - Native rain garden and permeable pavers at a local business on 5426 North Gay St. at Killingsworth, planted in 2007
Riverscaping Resources
Native Plant Nurseries:
- Mid-Columbia Gorge: Humble Roots Farm and Nursery, LLC in Mosier, OR (503) 449-3694 and Milestone Nursery in Lyle, WA (503) 248-0104
- Lower Columbia: Removal of invasive plants and native plant installation & maintenance: Verde Native Plant Nursery in Portland, OR (503) 980-5260
- Other Washington State Native Plant Nurseries
- Other Oregon State Native Plant Nurseries
Reduce Stormwater Run-off and create a Rain Garden / Bioswale
- City of Portland's guide to bioswales
- City of Portland's guide to disconnecting your downspouts
Questions?
Lorri Eberle
Water Quality Volunteer Coordinator
541-399-0769 (office)
