THUNDER BAY -- Eco-Superior has announced a program that offers rebates to owners of commercial or institutional properties who install rain gardens.
Providing $500 toward the set-up cost, the program is modelled after the City of Thunder Bay's rain garden rebate initiative, which offers a financial incentive to homeowners who install rain gardens on their properties.
A rain garden is a landscaped depression that soaks up rainwater runoff from building roofs or other hard surfaces such as parking areas.
The water is absorbed into the soil instead of flowing into a storm drain that empties into a local stream.
The expanded program is funded by the Ontario government.
Julie Prinselaar, program co-ordinator for Eco Superior, said the organization recognizes the large role that the institutional and commercial sector can play in helping to manage stormwater.
She noted that rain gardens are attractive features that complement a storefront or institutional space. "They can look just like a conventional flower garden, only with the added function of capturing rain water. Hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, insects and other pollinators love them, too," she said.
