Stormwater Management

We are certified to install conservation landscaping features in all DMV-area counties. Whether you already have an approved site plan, or if you’re not sure where to start, get in touch - we can help!

DC - VA - PG County - Montgomery County

Love & Carrots can help homeowners apply for grant funding and rebates for implementing stormwater management practices on their properties. This work is funded by the US EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant, and depending on where you live, varying amounts of funding are available. Applicable projects include installing conservation landscaping, rain gardens, bioretention areas, and permeable pavers. We can combine grant projects with other gardening and landscaping work on your property to help you save on overall project costs!

DC’s Riversmart Homes Program

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and DC’s DOEE administer the Riversmart Homes Grants and Rebates, and since 2017, we’ve installed hundreds of Riversmart projects across the District, including Bayscapes, rain gardens, rain barrels, and permeable pavers. With a small copay, grants cover the cost of the project including the design; lower cost, but a longer process. Rebates allow you to skip the long wait, but you cover all the project costs up front and then apply for a partial refund for qualifying projects after completion.

How to get started:

For a grant, DC residents must first apply through the Riversmart Homes website and receive a site audit to determine which stormwater management practices your home is eligible for. The wait is typically 6 months or longer, so get started early!

If you do not want to have to wait for a site audit, you can instead apply for a partial rebate after your project is completed. You will need to complete a percolation test and have a pre-construction inspection done before funding can be approved, but the process is overall much faster than waiting for the grant funding approval.

Project Specs and Funding for Residential properties:

Grants:

Rain Gardens: copayment of $200 per 50 square foot rain garden (limit two gardens per property)
BayScaping: copayment of $200 per 120 square foot conservation landscape (limit two gardens per property)

Rebates:

Rain gardens: Must use native plants, be at least 50 sq ft, and redirect water from at least 400 sq ft of impervious surface area (aka, a rooftop). Rain gardens are eligible for a rebate of $41/square foot, up to a maximum of $3,000.
No rebates for Bayscaping
Permeable pavement: $6,000 maximum rebate per property for properties located within Wards 7, 8, and/or the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Area. Check whether or not your home is eligible on this map.

How Love & Carrots can help:

We can design and install your Riversmart Grant or Rebate project, and provide maintenance after installation through our Garden Care program.

For Grants:

Complete your application and receive your site audit.
Request Love & Carrots as your contractor and you will be assigned to us.
When your turn is up, we will begin with a free site visit to review your project and your preferences and we’ll take it from there!

For Rebates:

Set up an on-site initial consultation with one of our amazing landscape designers. Consultations are $250 inside the beltway.
At the Consultation we conduct a thorough site assessment of what practices you may qualify for, and can discuss and advise on any other landscaping or gardening projects you are interested in. [..more standard consultation language..]
The next step is typically to create a landscape design for your approval. [This is a separate cost …. ] Landscape designs start at $450 for just the project ($225 with a 50% refund…), and can be expanded from there to incorporate other landscaping projects outside of stormwater management
We can provide assistance with the rebate process and all the way through the process for our standard design rate.

Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)

The Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is an urban cost-share program that provides financial incentives and technical assistance to property owners installing eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs). The program is managed through participating regional Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). Northern Virginia’s SWCD is linked here - we can also install projects located within Loudon SWCD and Prince William SWCD.

Reach out to us to get started - you’ll need to submit a plant list and a design as part of your application for funding, and we can help you navigate the process at each step.

Love & Carrots can help with many BMP’s included in the VCAP grant program. Each type of project has a different reimbursement calculation:

Conservation landscaping: 80% reimbursement, up to $7,000 maximum
Rain gardens: 80% reimbursement, up to $7,000 maximum
Bioretention: 80% reimbursement, up to $30,000 maximum
Stormwater Conveyances: 80% reimbursement, up to $20,000 maximum
Rainwater harvesting: $4/gallon, up to $20,000 maximum
Permeable pavement*: $14/sq ft, up to $20,000 maximum
- *To be eligible for funds, these projects must replace an existing impervious surface

Montgomery County Rainscapes

The Montgomery County grant rebate program is called Rainscapes, and it is open to properties in Montgomery County that are outside the municipalities of Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Takoma Park (each of these cities manage their own rebate programs, linked).

Love & Carrots can help install eligible project features under this program including conservation landscapes, permeable paver retrofits, rain gardens, and rain barrels. The maximum rebate amount for residential properties is $7,500. Commercial properties (inclusding HOAs, multifamily, or institutional properties) can receive up to $20,000 maximum.

Projects must be pre-approved prior to installation - whether you have a plan finalized, or you want help understanding your options, we can help guide you through the entire process from initial application and project design, to final installation and rebate.