Vanderburgh County Soil Water Conservation District
Participant Agreement- Rain Garden
Backyard Conservation Program
The Backyard Conservation Program is an incentive program intended to assist with the expenses to property owners for implementing backyard conservation practices that benefit water quality and wildlife habitat on non-agricultural, private land that are not eligible for programs offered by the United States Department of Agriculture. The goal of this program is to help landowners practice better environmental stewardship by providing financial assistance for the implementation of conservation practices that would not otherwise be implemented without financial assistance.
The expectation of the Vanderburgh County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors (hereinafter referred to as the SWCD) is that Participants in the Backyard Conservation Program are responsible for the conservation of natural resources under their management. Thus, Participants should be actively engaged in the conservation planning process and contribute financially to conservation practice implementation. Long-term operation and maintenance of conservation practices is the responsibility of the Participant.
All property owners within Vanderburgh
County are eligible for Backyard Conservation Program. All applicants must sign
a Participant Agreement between the SWCD and the Property owner in order to be
considered for Cost Sharing and Rebate. Conservation practices installed with
Cost Share funds must be in place for a minimum of three (3) years.
Each Backyard Conservation
Program application will be evaluated using the Backyard Conservation Program’s
Criteria and Requirements for Cost-Sharing. Each conservation practice has a
pre-determined SWCD maximum funding limit that shall not be exceeded in any one
project. Furthermore, maximum cost-share rates approved by the
SWCD
for these practices shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the project
material cost.
The
following are not eligible for
Cost Sharing:
Practices required as a result of a court order; Practices required for
compliance with local zoning and or building codes or permits; Practices
required by mitigation. All Backyard Conservation Program funds are on a first
come first serve bases. No consideration of race, gender, religion, political
affiliation, working or volunteer positions will be made during the application
process.
Project goals: Rain Gardens are utilized in Vanderburgh County as a storm water management tool that allows rainwater to be diverted from impervious surfaces like buildings, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks and even compacted lawns. Typically, a rain garden is a garden designed to deal with the watershed discharged from a downspout off the roof of a building. They are often planted with plants native to the area instead of exotic plants. Native plants are more tolerant of the Southern Indiana climate and soil conditions. Rain Gardens help reduce the amount of rainwater entering the local sewer systems, which can in turn reduce the damaging effects of localized flooding. They can also help reduce the amount of pollutants that reach our creeks and rivers in run off. Rain Gardens are a good way for the homeowner to support watershed conservation and improve the water quality in our community.
I wish to cooperate with the Vanderburgh County Soil & Water Conservation District Backyard Conservation Program in achieving soil and water conservation in my community. I am asking for assistance in planning needed land use changes and in applying and maintaining the practices needed on my land. The Vanderburgh County Soil & Water Conservation District is in no way liable for any design or installation work of the Rain Garden at installation time or in the future. This agreement will be for a period of three (3) years following signature by both parties and only terminated by either party by written notice. The property owner also agrees to allow the SWCD to photograph and publicize the project for the duration of the agreement for education and promotion.
Site located at: _____________________________________________________________________
Site description: ____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Owner Name: _____________________________________________________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________________________________________________
Email: ___________________________________________________________________________
Owner Sign: ___________________________________________ Date: _____________________
SWCD Supervisor Sign: __________________________________Date: _____________________