Learn How to Build a Rain Garden

Want to learn how you can help improve water quality and limit erosion? 

The Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources’ Stormwater Management Division, in partnership with the Gwinnett Cooperative Extension Service, will host a , at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center.

Attendees who live in the City of Lilburn or in unincorporated Gwinnett may qualify for a 5 percent reduction in stormwater utility charges for participating in the workshop.

To register for the free workshop, send an email with your name, address and phone number to dwrswreg@gwinnettcounty.com or call 678-376-7193 and press 5.

At the Jan. 5 Dacula City Council meeting,  delivered his biannual stormwater address to remind citizens of the need to avoid polluting area streams, rivers and lakes.

Wilbanks advocated the use of rain gardens to help capture and clean stormwater runoff from roofs (see video). A rain garden is a natural or shallow-dug depression in the ground to which runoff can be diverted and allowed to soak into the ground rather than running directly into storm drains. Wilbanks suggested using native plants such as cinammon ferns, blackeyed Susans, asters, violets and swamp hibiscus to populate the garden.

For more about stormwater and pollutants, visit the Clean Water Campaign website.