Expanding Community Resiliency through Rain Gardens

August 27, 2025

By: Stephanie Kozak, Park Interpreter

In May 2022, the Huron-Clinton Metroparks received an EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Grant focused on protecting Lake Erie’s marshes and waterways through green infrastructure practices. Green infrastructure includes a variety of practices that utilize natural systems, including plants and soil, to reduce flooding as well as provide additional benefits for wildlife and people. This grant funding enabled us to install a 2,735-square-foot rain garden at Lake Erie Metropark, which filters stormwater from a large parking lot and two basketball courts before it reaches Lake Erie’s marshes and waters. Additionally, we provided stormwater education to underserved communities through six Master Rain Gardener Certification Courses and seven Rain Garden 101 sessions – resulting in 21 new rain garden installations throughout the region.

The newly installed rain garden at Lake Erie Metropark (left) and in late summer of 2024 (right).

Over the past two years, our stormwater education efforts have focused on raising public awareness about stormwater issues and empowering individuals to take action by installing residential rain gardens. In partnership with Washtenaw County Water Resources, we offer a five-week Master Rain Gardener course that teaches participants to how to design and build their own rain gardens. These gardens help filter polluted stormwater, reduce flooding, protect rivers and lakes, and support pollinators. We also piloted a one-hour “Rain Gardens 101” program, which introduces participants to the environmental impact of runoff and the many benefits of rain gardens.

With the EPA GLRI grant concluding in April 2025, we sought new opportunities to sustain and expand our stormwater education efforts. On August 1, 2025, we were awarded the EGLE Watershed Council Grant: Expanding Community Resiliency through Rain Gardens.

This new grant will support three main goals:

1. Expand stormwater education across Southeast Michigan.

We plan to offer more Master Rain Gardener Courses and Rain Garden 101 programs, as well as attend community events to share stormwater management strategies. Through these multiple educational touchpoints, we aim to promote the benefits of green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs) – specifically rain gardens – and their capability to capture and reduce stormwater runoff.

2. Increase stormwater resiliency in equity communities within the Detroit and Rouge River watersheds.

We will encourage and support Master Rain Gardener Graduates in installing rain gardens in their own spaces. From our work with the EPA GLRI grant, we identified key barriers to participants installing rain gardens. With the new EGLE funding, we can now address these obstacles.

We’ll establish tool lending libraries that include essential gardening tools such as large digging and transfer shovels, hoes, and hand tool sets. Tool lending libraries will be available for check out from the Metroparks at Master Rain Gardener course locations.

Participants will also be able to apply for scholarships to offset installation costs:

• 10 scholarships will provide participants with a personal set of gardening tools.
• 10 scholarships will reimburse the cost of native plants, which are often more expensive than ornamental varieties.
• 5 scholarships will assist in rain garden installations to support participants who need assistance with the physical demands of building a rain garden.

To support these efforts, we are partnering with the St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center to hire graduates of the Detroit Stormwater Specialist Training (SWST) to install these five residential rain gardens. SWST is a six-week program that provides pathways toward living wage employment working outdoors and maintaining green infrastructure, through a joint effort of Friends of the Rouge, Sierra Club – Michigan Chapter, and St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center. Graduates of the program are trained to identify and repair eroded areas, distinguish between native plants and weeds, and control invasive species.

3. Provide job experience and employment opportunities for SWST graduates.

In addition to residential rain garden installations, the SWSTs will also be employed to conduct essential maintenance and upkeep of the 7,130 sq. ft. Lake Erie Metropark rain garden, ensuring the garden’s longevity and effectiveness in stormwater management for Lake Erie marshes and waters. This offers SWST graduates the opportunity to apply and expand their training as well as exposure to the park system and potential employment opportunities.

The support of the EGLE Watershed Council Grant will allow us to expand our impact by increasing stormwater education, addressing installation barriers, and ensuring the maintenance of critical green infrastructure. By educating and empowering communities, we hope to protect our water resources, mitigate flooding, and foster healthier ecosystems. We are excited to continue building on these foundations with EGLE’s support, fostering a sustainable, community-driven approach to stormwater management.