Mosquitoes require a minimum of 72 hours in standing water for larvae development; Rain gardens drain in 48 hours or less. Properly installed, your rain garden shouldn’t hold water long enough for mosquito larvae to complete their 7-to-12-day life cycle. Rain gardens also attract dragonflies, who find mosquitoes quite tasty.

Most rain gardens are installed in a half day to a day. It just depends on the size of the rain garden and how many volunteers are available to help with installation.

Nope! If you use native plants, your rain garden will require less maintenance than a regular garden. They adapt well to their natural surroundings, and don’t need fertilizers or pesticides. While your natives are establishing their roots, water them every other day or so for two to three weeks, or until you see that they’re thriving. After that, you’ll never need to water them except during a prolonged dry spell.

Rain gardens cost about the same as other perennial flower gardens, and are less expensive than re-planting annuals every year. The Every Drop program provides volunteers that help the homeowner install the rain garden, so the only cost to the homeowner is for the plants. To reduce the cost of the plants, Every Drop partners with local native plant nurseries to secure plants at a reduced price. On average, a rain garden costs about $3 to $5 per square foot, or around $50 – $100 for most homeowners.

Most certainly! Although it may take a little more digging to create the depression that is needed to capture the rain water, rain gardens are no harder to install than a traditional perennial garden. MSD offers a good guide to installing a rain garden

100% Extremely important, and we can’t do this without you! Collecting rain water as it runs off man-made surfaces protects our most precious natural resource, tax payer dollars, increases property value, and helps create a cleaner Louisville for today and future generations.

Nope! Every Drop rain barrels are always installed with lids to keep mosquitoes out and prevent them from nesting in the barrel. The lid also keeps children and animals out.

It really depends on how many rain barrels are installed, how many people are helping, and other factors such as location of downspouts and existing plantings. However, most rain barrel installations are completed in an afternoon.

The short answer is, of course. But if you would like to participate in the cost sharing program, Every Drop must provide the barrel. That way, if there are any issues at all, we’ll replace it. By using an Every Drop barrel, you’re getting a high-quality product! If you wish to choose a different barrel, you will need to pay for it on your own, but you are welcome to provide your own barrel.

If properly installed with an overflow port and a mesh screen to keep debris and mosquitoes out, the rain barrel requires very little maintenance. However, it is recommended that you clean your rain barrel at least once a year at the end of the summer. This will remove roof debris, needles, and silt and make sure the water stays clean. If you live in a climate where the temperature drops below freezing in the winter, you should empty the rain barrel and disconnect the downspout in the fall.

Experienced staff and volunteers from the Every Drop program will evaluate your property and determine if it is suitable for a rainwater mitigation installation.

A rain barrel costs $120, of which Every Drop pays 50%. The total cost for you to install a rain barrel through our program is $60.

Yes. However, the most common reason for not being accepted to the Every Drop program is that the property isn’t suitable for a rain barrel or rain garden. If there are other reasons why your application wasn’t approved, and installing a rain barrel makes sense, we highly recommend that you install your own.

Construction on rain gardens may begin at different times throughout the year. However, planting of the rain

gardens must occur during the spring or fall season when conditions are optimal for planting. Construction on these rain gardens may have begun earlier in order to be ready for the next appropriate planting season.