MSD Project Clear Continues Rainscaping Grant Program

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Project Clear is continuing to encourage landowners to install rainscaping features on their property with the Rainscaping Small Grants Program 2019-2020 grant round.

Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Project Clear is continuing to encourage landowners to install rainscaping features on their property with the Rainscaping Small Grants Program 2019-2020 grant round.

Approved landowners residing within the designated program area, which now includes the River des Peres combined sewer area, will be reimbursed up to $4,000 for installing rainscaping features on their property, which helps the environment by reducing the amount of stormwater entering the sewer system.

Using simple techniques, rainscaping collects and filters rainwater where it falls — the way nature intended — instead of transporting it somewhere else.

Lowering the amount of stormwater runoff entering the sewer system helps improves the water quality and ecological balance of area creeks, streams and rivers by reducing sewer overflows. It also reduces stormwater pollution, which occurs as runoff flows toward the street, absorbing pet waste, pesticides and other contaminants before it enters the sewer system that transports it to streams and lakes, often without treatment.

For homeowners, rainscaping has the added benefit of minimizing basement backups, helping to resolve yard ponding, and supporting biodiversity by creating a habitat for a wide variety of garden life.

Interested applicants should visit www.ProjectClearSTL.org/SmallGrants to learn more, or call 314-577-0202. Only landowners residing within the Grant Program Area are eligible to apply.

Applicants are required to attend a Landowner Orientation Session within the current (2019-2020) or previous (2018-2019) program round. Advance registration is required. Applicants are encouraged to register early as space is limited.