A property owner proudly displays a Prince George’s County Rain Check Rebate yard sign to showcase their new permeable pavement driveway and participation in the program.
To improve our communities and the environment, it will take each of us to do our part! Today, we look at residents of Prince George’s County, Maryland, who are doing their part to keep their communities clean, healthy, and beautiful.
Since 2012, County residents have the opportunity to receive a rebate, or reimbursement, for installing practices that reduce stormwater runoff, reduce pollution, and improve local river health through the County’s Rain Check Rebate Program. The practices include rain barrels, cisterns, urban tree canopy, rain gardens, pavement removal, permeable pavement, and green roofs. These practices beautify the property and have additional benefits. For example:
- installing rain barrels and cisterns reduces water use from the tap and reduces watering costs
- planting native trees and plants provide food and habitat for important bird and pollinator species
- removing pavement and replacing it with permeable pavement can reduce standing water on the walkway or driveway
Fiscal Year 2020 By The Numbers
The Prince George’s County Department of the Environment partners with the Chesapeake Bay Trust to administer this program. We are excited to announce that Fiscal Year 2020 (July 2019 to June 2020) for the Rain Check Rebate Program was another successful year with 154 approved applications, representing 416 projects, for a total rebate amount of $161,878. These projects help treat 92,928 square feet of impervious surface, which is almost the size of one and a half football fields!
The projects installed through the Rain Check Rebate Program play an important role in keeping our rivers clean and healthy by tackling the issue of stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff occurs when rainwater flows across impervious surfaces such as roofs, parking lots, and roads, that do not allow the water to soak into the ground. As it flows across these surfaces, it can pick up harmful pollutants such as bacteria from pet waste and motor oil from cars. This polluted runoff makes its way into nearby rivers and is harmful to aquatic life and can be a health hazard for people. Fast-moving and high volumes of stormwater runoff can also cause erosion of riverbanks.
Since the program’s inception, we’ve had over 730 approved applications, representing over 1,550 projects, for a total rebate amount of over $680,000.
Thank you to everyone that has participated in the Rain Check Rebate Program throughout the years! Your efforts help keep Prince George’s County beautiful and healthy!
The Prince George’s County Rain Check Rebate Program is currently open and accepting applications on a rolling basis.
