In the final month of the NoogaKnox Challenge, the City of Chattanooga is calling on residents to get their yards RainSmart Yard certified to help prevent pollution of Chattanooga’s waterways during heavy rains.
Residents who take several simple steps to reduce the amount of rainwater running off their property and into the city's overburdened stormwater system will be rewarded with up to 75 percent off their annual stormwater fee.
In March, the City announced a competition with Knoxville to get the most residents certified by the first day of fall—September 22, 2022. The NoogaKnox Challenge arose from a partnership between the University of Tennessee’s Smart Yards and the Chattanooga nonprofit WaterWays, and progress is being tracked in real-time via an online dashboard.
“Our outdoor amenities are essential to our quality of life, which is why it’s so important for us to safeguard them for future generations to enjoy,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “If we each take a few easy steps to get RainSmart Yard certified, we can make a big impact on preserving our beloved Tennessee river and surrounding streams. Join team Nooga today and help us show Knoxville that when it comes to protecting our waterways, Chattanooga is a champ!”
During big storms, excessive stormwater runoff can lead to erosion, which causes property loss, habitat destruction, and pollution of Chattanooga’s rivers and streams. The RainSmart Yard certification program encourages residents to use rain gardens, rain barrels, and natural buffers to reduce stormwater runoff and help prevent polluted water and sediment from flowing into local waterways.
If large numbers of homeowners participate in the RainSmart Yard certification process, they can individually save money each year while also offsetting the need for expensive taxpayer-funded stormwater retention tanks. For example, 10,000 Chattanooga yards with rain gardens installed would prevent 13 million gallons, or 20 olympic-sized swimming pools of rainfall from flowing into the city’s stormwater system during a typical one-inch rain.
“Right now, we are essentially tied with Knoxville in the NoogaKnox challenge, so we need everyone’s help to protect our river and beat Knoxville!” said Mary Beth Sutton, Executive Director of WaterWays. “By taking a few simple steps to reduce the amount of rainwater running off our yards, we can all make a difference for clean water.”
Chattanooga residents who participate in the RainSmart Yards program are awarded either a bronze, silver or gold rating, based on the property’s condition. The City then provides an annual stormwater fee discount of either 25 percent, 50 percent or 75 percent, depending on the rating.
Currently, single-family residential properties are billed a standard rate of $183.54 per year for their water quality fee, a figure that could fall to $45.88 per year if they are certified as retaining sufficient stormwater on their property by doing things like adding rain barrels, avoiding impervious surfaces, and growing native plants and grasses.
In addition to annual savings, homeowners may seek reimbursement from the city for the installation of rain gardens and rain barrels as part of the RainSmart program.
The stated discount and reimbursement incentives are only available for Chattanooga residents, but all of Hamilton County, and beyond, are encouraged to participate in this program. The quality of our creeks and streams is a regional issue that needs a regional solution. To start the RainSmart Yard certification process, homeowners must complete a brief survey at mywaterways.org/rainsmartyards/ about stormwater and plant management at their homes. Next, a staff member from WaterWays will visit the home to ensure the yard and home meet the qualifying criteria and then present the qualifying resident a RainSmart Yard sign.