Welcome to the Rain Campaign
We’re glad you’re here!
The Rain Campaign was launched in 2019 as a localized effort across the Des Moines metro to inspire residents, businesses, and municipalities to be part of the solution towards managing stormwater runoff in a better way. Through the utilization of community-wide incentive programs, we can all take action to improve the water quality of our local creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes.
The Problem
Like an umbrella, our buildings, paved surfaces, and compacted soils shed water instead of allowing it to naturally soak into the ground. This leads to flooding and water quality problems across the Des Moines metro and other urban areas in Iowa.
How Your Home Contributes
Residential areas make up a large portion of our community. By more effectively managing water in our own backyards, we can make a positive difference for our local watersheds- decreasing flash flooding and improving water quality.
Solutions You Can Apply
You can design your yard to hold and retain stormwater instead of losing it to runoff. By utilizing strategically planned landscaping practices (called Rainscaping) at your home, you can help us make our community act less like an umbrella and more like a sponge to let water naturally soak into the ground, preventing flooding and protecting water quality.
What You Can Do at Home
You can be a part of local water quality improvements by implementing Rainscaping practices at your home. While looking like typical landscaping, these practices provide the additional service of acting like a sponge to collect and treat stormwater!
Types of Rainscaping Practices
- Rain Barrels
- Soil Quality Restoration
- Rain Garden
- Permeable Pavement
- Native Landscaping
- Downspout Redirect
Problems addressed by Rainscaping solutions
- Patchy & Brown Grass
- Drainage & Ponding Issues
- Neighborhood Drainage issues
- Local Water Quality
- Community Flooding
- + others
Funding Resources
To make it easier for citizens to be a part of these water solutions, cities across the Des Moines Metro have created funding assistance programs for installing Rainscaping practices. These partnerships create opportunities for better stormwater management and improved local water quality across the entire area.
Don’t live in the Des Moines Metro? No worries! Other cities, counties, and watershed projects across Iowa have similar funding available to support these practices:
Find a Landscaper/Plant Supplier
We’ve identified a network of trained landscapers and contractors who are familiar with Rainscaping practices and local funding programs to make your search for local help easy.
Since we launched the Rain Campaign in fall 2019, residents of our community have installed many Rainscaping projects across the Des Moines metro. Will you be next?
106
Rain Gardens
591
Rain Barrels
376
Soil Quality Restorations
83
Native Planting Projects
The Rain Campaign
A local movement enabling people to protect water
In partnership with
