Free rain gardens to help reduce pollution in waterways
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Hewletts and Bradley Creek are two waterways dealing with a pollution problem and that’s why Wilmington is now offering an incentive program for homeowners with the goal of reducing pollutants getting into the waterway.
“I’m a strong supporter of the concept. I wish there more of them out there,” homeowner Alina Szmant said.
The city created a program to install rain gardens near Hewletts and Bradley creeks. Both are currently closed to shell fishing and harvesting because of pollution. A rain garden retains water from roofs or driveways to reduce pollution.
“There was a decision made that we create an incentive program for citizens to do the right thing to help clean our local waterways,” New Hanover County Soil and Water Conservation Director Dru Harrison said.
Harrison says the gardens could help shell fishing come back, allowing for both environmental and economic development.
“If everybody in the watershed- each watershed had a best management practice to help treat that pollution, the idea is we could open those shellfish beds open- we could re-open those shellfish beds to harvesting as well as get more recreational uses out of those water sheds,” Harrison said.
So far the city has spent approximately $40,000 on the rain gardens over the past three years. The city says some people say rain gardens cause mosquitoes to breed but homeowners like Szmant, who got a rain garden a few years ago, says there’s an easy fix.
“Dump a whole bunch of gravel in there so that the water is in between the stones but not deep enough and it’s not the right habitat for the mosquitoes to lay their eggs and breed. And it worked,” Szmant said.
She just hopes other neighbors will give it a shot in the future. For those interested in having a rain garden in Hewletts and Bradley Creeks, the installation is free. The homeowner would only pay for maintenance. You can contact Harrison about these rain gardens at (910) 798-7135 or email her at drharrison@nhcgov.com.
