The city of Winona is sponsoring a residential rain

garden program and is offering at least 6 cost

sharing grants for the lesser of $250.00 or 50% of
the cost for residents to install a rain garden in their
yard. Rain gardens are a simple low-impact way to
purify surface waters, and when planted with native
species may help pollinators.

Rain Garden Grant Application Workshop

Saturday June 13th
9:30 am to 11:30 am
Art Room at the Winona Public Library

Free
What is a rain garden? Its a sunken flower garden, between 6-8 inches below the level of your yard strategically placed to
collect rain water from the roof, driveway or parking area. It keeps water in your yard during a rain event and allows it to
percolate into the soil over a few hours and replenish aquafers. There is no standing water, it absorbs within 24 hours. It
also is incredibly effective at removing pollutants from storm water runoff, in fact it removes 94% of sediment, 43% of
phosphorus and 70% of nitrogen.
Why are rain gardens good for Winona? Water, chemicals and debris that enter storm drains in Winona are not treated,
but flow directly to surface waters, primarily the Mississippi River or Lake Winona. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
has identified Lake Winona as having Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) impairment in a report to be released in 2015.
According to Shaina Keseley, a Watershed Project Manager at the MNPCA Lake Winona is exceeding the total phosphorus,
chlorophyll-a and transparency (secchi) standard and therefor does not meet its designated aquatic recreation use. Rain
gardens are one way to keep phosphorus, and vegetative debris that add to phosphorus levels out of Lake Winona.

Grant Applications available on line at the Healthy Lake Winona website

http://healthylakewinona.weebly.com/