Washtenaw County program has helped build more than 2,000 residential rain gardens; 1,400 are in Ann Arbor

Susan Bridal, who runs the Washtenaw County rain garden program for the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, told the Ann Arbor Environmental Commission that the county’s residential program has produced more than 2,000 rain gardens over 15 years, with about 1,400 located inside Ann Arbor.

Bridal said the program recorded 89 rain gardens built through county assistance in 2024 and that landscapers trained by the program built 53 more. “So it's really crowdsourcing rain gardens, getting everyone to do it so that, government doesn't have to do as much of it,” Bridal said, describing the county’s effort as behavior-change and community-building work that aims to slow, soak and cool stormwater.

The program offers a free on-demand Master Rain Gardener class, individual yard consultations, plant swaps, volunteer opportunities, free design assistance for businesses and maintenance of many public rain gardens. Bridal said the City of Ann Arbor’s stormwater utility fee provides funding that helps run these services and that the county reports results to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy…