HomeMy WebLinkAboutENG - March2014 Raingarden Workshop
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Jordan Gilgenbach, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0396 • jgilgenbach@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City To Co-Host Raingarden Workshop
Edina, Minn., March 12, 2014 –A workshop hosted by the City of Edina and Metro Blooms will teach
attendees how simple changes in their yards can make a difference in keeping rivers, lakes and streams clean.
From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at the Edina Public Works & Park Maintenance facility, 7450 Metro
Blvd., residents can learn best practices to keep pollutants out of regional waterways. Participants can work
one-on-one with Metro Bloom landscape designers and Hennepin County master gardeners to design
raingardens for their properties.
“Pollutant levels in our lakes and rivers are at record high levels,” said City of Edina Water Resources
Coordinator Laura Adler. “Everything from fertilizers used on lawns to yard waste and the salt used on
streets, driveways and sidewalks all contribute to the mounting water pollution levels. This workshop will help
teach residents how they can prevent some of those pollutants from entering the water system.”
“In 2013 alone, over 400 workshop attendees installed 140 raingardens,” said Metro Blooms Executive
Director Becky Rice. “An average-sized residential raingarden captures approximately 400 gallons of runoff
every time it rains one inch, so each of us can make a substantial impact.”
Whether you are an experienced gardener or have never tried it, this workshop will help you learn how to
capture rainwater on site with raingardens, directed downspouts and rain barrels. You will also learn how to
landscape your raingarden using native plants, adopt healthy yard care practices and plan your own raingarden
with one-on-one assistance. Cost share grants may also be available through the Nine Mile Creek and
Minnehaha Creek watershed districts.
The workshop costs $15 to attend and have a one-on-one consultation. To register, visit
www.metroblooms.org or call 651-699-2426.
For more information, contact Adler at 952-826-0445.
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