October 14, 2015

Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) staff recently joined volunteers with Depave and Saints Peter and Paul Episcopal Church to help make space for a new rain garden in the church’s parking lot in Southeast Portland. 

The crew removed pavement and invasive English ivy to make way for native plants and trees. Green spaces – like rain gardens – are great for managing stormwater. Plants and soils in the garden soak up rain and stormwater runoff, reducing the amount of water entering our sewers and keeping pollutants out of our rivers and streams.

The project is funded by a Community Watershed Stewardship Program grant (CWSP). The program provides grants for local organizations to complete neighborhood projects that help manage stormwater and restore waterways. Since 1995, CWSP has awarded more than $1 million in grants for watershed projects, and helped organize more than 40,000 volunteers to work on local community projects.

On October 24, volunteers will be back for a planting party – and they need your help! Volunteers will be provided tools, gloves, gear, and snacks. Check out BES’s website for more information.

Planting at Saints Peter and Paul Episcopal Church

8147 SE Pine St.

Saturday, October 24, 10am – 1pm