Drought 2012: Ankeny Municipal Reimbursement Program Helps to Combat Drought

With this summer’s drought heading into its third month, homeowners are looking for creative ways to conserve water, yet still maintain their yards and gardens.

Rain barrels have gained popularity in the past few years; however, collecting rain water has been a traditional practice throughout the world as far back as 2,000 years ago in Thailand. Harvesting rain or storm water is also considered a “best management practice” (BMP) that can help improve the water quality and quantity.

The has a stormwater BMP reimbursement program in place to help home and business owners encorporate stormwater BMPs. The program provides a 50 percent cost-match, or up to $1,000. Applicable practices include rain gardens, native planting buffers/swales, soil quality restoration, or porous/pervious surface installation.

Rain barrels will be funded at a maximum of $75, limit of one per address. The funding may be utilized for multiple practices. However, the maximum amount matched will be $1,000 for all practices in a calendar year. Due to the popularity if the reminbursement program, this year’s budget was doubled to $20,000 and funds are still available.

The program was developed by the department after seeing success in other communities.

“We thought it would be a way to illustrate the idea that ‘everyone lives on waterfront property,’” said Municipal Utilities engineer Amy Bryant. “Residents need to understand the connection between rain and runoff and how it affects water quality. We all have an impact on water quality and quantity because the water that leaves both my yard and yours goes into a storm drain without treatment. We are hoping to educate the public about stormwater management and show how easy it can be to protect our environment and its resources.”

This is the third year for the program. Resident Aaron Crabb and his neighbor Ryan Johnson have used the program three times to help fund native landscaping that will help prevent soil erosion and soil quality restoration.

In the first project they requested reimbursement to help create a dry stream bed consisting of natural stone and native plants to help slow the flow of stormwater and stop soil erosion that was occurring in the back part of their properties.

Crabb says the BMP program went way beyond helping with the project cost.

“When the process started, we were looking for ways to get the water out of our yard, which just pushes the problem to the next person down the line,” said Crabb. “But once we got started with our plans, the city staff helped us with training materials, showed us how to get a lot more for our money and really helped us change our thinking about what techniques to use.”

Instead of pushing the water off the property, the strategy became how to slow down the flow and help it absorb into the ground.

One priority for the city staff is for our residents to see stormwater as a valuable resource, not a waste product. 

“We try to educate our residents that when it rains, the stormwater gets to our streams and ponds untreated,” said Bryant. “The quality and quantity of stormwater we put into our urban streams and pond is important for water quality.”  

“It was a home run,” Crabb said. “It was so much more than just finding a solution, it was changing our view on water.” He says his family enjoys seeing the native plants blooming at different times of the year and he doesn’t worry about the soil washing away.

An educational opportunity

Businesses and organizations are also eligible to apply for reimbursement funds. Two years ago, ’s Parent-Teacher Organization used the program to help purchase a rain barrel.

“The garden area at Crocker doesn’t have easy access to water, so a rain barrel was a great solution to always have water available,” said program coordinator and parent Denise Ganpat. “We put up a trellis with a gutter and downspout in order to capture the water and the rain barrel stores what we need to water the garden and trees.”

The barrel both conserves stormwater and helps educate the kids about conservation efforts. With the planting of trees, bushes and flowers, this area of the school grounds has become the Crocker Outdoor Learning Area.

“Not every kid has a garden these days,” said Ganpat. “We’ve been able to use the outdoor learning area to educate the kids on plant life, what types of things grow in Iowa and we’ve had a great response from both the kids and their parents.”

Where Does the Funding Come From

The Stormwater BMP Reimbursement Program is funded through the stormwater utility fee that residents pay monthly on their water bill. This fee was added in July 2009 because of new federal laws in the Clean Water Act, which regulate stormwater runoff and require cities to develop and implement a stormwater quality management program that protects property and improves water quality.

The BMP Reimbursement Program is part of the public education and outreach portion the collected fees can be used for. More information can be found here.

How to Apply

Home and business owners need to apply for reimbursement before the work begins by using anticipated project costs, a summary or description of the project and an anticipated production schedule.

Once an application is submitted and approved, applicants must contact the city prior to the start and request inspection of the completed project. To receive payment, submit final receipts; projects are usually reimbursed within 30 days of submittal.

Applicants may utilize this program in multiple fiscal years for various BMP projects, with the exception of rain barrels which are funded one time only. Funding is available to applicants on a first come basis and is subject to the approval of the Municipal Utilities staff and director.

More information on the program, including applications, a list of product companies and is available on the city’s website.