April showers bring May flowers — and floods. For this, there is a solution. A rain garden offers both curb appeal and a way to use the excess water in a functional way. And the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District is helping some homeowners install rain gardens in Bristol — for free.

According to Climate Central, Bristol County is a highly affected area in Rhode Island when it comes to flooding. Sara Churgin, the district manager of ERICD, communicated her excitement over being able to educate people on what can be done in their own backyards to overcome issues with stormwater runoff. “As an organization that is based on educating and helping people in the community, we share what you can do in your own backyard to change things,” she said.

One of these things is installing a rain garden. Being able to offer a free opportunity to acquire a rain garden to Bristol residents is at the heart of what the organization is committed to doing in the community.

Last year, Marlon and Selcan McKenzie were selected to receive a free rain garden from a new initiative of ERICD that is dedicated to helping residents solve stormwater issues. This initiative, which began with outreach efforts in 2023, officially launched in the spring of 2024 by providing free rain gardens to residents in Bristol.

The McKenzies were one of the first homeowners to receive one. There were several issues they were dealing with at the time they attended last year’s stormwater presentation organized by ERICD. Selcan cited, “Excessive drainage from the gutters and a decline in the driveway were causing damage to the concrete, causing it to sink, and there were a lot of muddy areas in the lawn with the dirt being pulled into the driveway.”

These were minor issues that could be easily overcome with one minor adjustment — the installation of a rain garden.

A solution with ‘curb appeal’

“The redirection of the gutter drainage and the curb appeal of the pretty garden was the perfect solution for us,” Selcan shared, excitedly. The rain garden installed at the McKenzies is approximately 3 feet by 15 feet and has successfully relocated the excess water causing the issues in the driveway. Ryan Brancato, who does stormwater outreach for ERICD explained the interesting process of installing the rain garden. He shared, “There are topographical maps that look at surrounding areas to find any issues with stormwater runoff.” In this case, he said the issue was pretty straight forward. “This property had a sloping decline that went into the street, and we knew exactly where the water was coming from; We knew we had to divert the gutter into a new space by converting the garden that was already there into a functional rain garden,” he said. 

To do this, it required architectural design. Layered substrates, such as sand, gravel, stone, soil, and mulch were used to create a rain garden. “The substrate helps drainage by creating space for water to be held and slowly percolate into the ground,” Brancato explained. And the final step (possibly the most fun step) of the process was adding the plants to the garden. “The garden went from weeds to pretty plants in a matter of hours,” Selcan recalled.

Brancato went on to describe different rain garden set ups for the unique stormwater issues that present at peoples homes. One issue on another property was found in the fenced in backyard. “The entire yard was a puddle,” Brancato communicated. Because of this the rain garden was installed on two sides of the yard. On one side the garden was large and on the other it was smaller. The water from the smaller garden was relocated to the larger one using a drainage pipe that connected the two — solving the problem of puddling in the yard. 

Each stormwater issue will have a different rain garden design, according to Brancato. He often shares a diagram to help people understand what the specific need is for their unique stormwater issue. “The diagram explained the whole process for us,” shared Marlon. 

The entire process of addressing stormwater issues is also covered annually at a public presentation in Bristol, which is where the McKenzies first became aware of the possibility of getting a rain garden added to their property. Professors from Roger Williams University allow students to complete a capstone project involving public outreach at the information sessions on stormwater. 

The students will be giving their presentation on the topic of stormwater on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at the Quinta-Gamelin Community Center in Bristol. The session will address issues related to “ponding” in yards and ways to mitigate water collection.

ERICD will give information to Bristol residents interested in receiving a free rain garden for managing residential stormwater in their yards. Eligibility requirements and application information for the free rain garden installation will be available for qualified residents.