To improve our communities and the environment, it will take each of us to do our part! Today, we look at the impact of 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 had 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, such as:
- installing rain barrels and cisterns reduces water use from the tap and reduces watering costs
- planting native plants provide food and habitat for important bird and pollinator species
- planting native trees cleans our air and provides shade, as well as food and habitat for birds and pollinators
- removing pavement and replacing it with permeable pavement can reduce standing water on the walkway or driveway
Fiscal Year 2022 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 2022 (July 2021 to June 2022) for the Rain Check Rebate Program was another successful year with 133 approved applications, representing 299 projects, for a total rebate amount of $158,912. These projects help treat 69,519 square feet of impervious surface, a little over the size of one football field!
The projects installed through the Rain Check Rebate Program play an important role in keeping our communities and local waterways 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 1,000 approved applications, representing over 2,200 projects, for a total rebate amount of over $992,000.
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.
