At its September 10 meeting, the Town Council will hold a public hearing on a proposal for a RainScapes Rebate and Technical Assistance Program. This program, proposed by the Town’s Climate and Environment Committee, would build upon and supplement the County’s RainScapes Rewards Rebate Program and help Town residents solve stormwater problems on private property. The Montgomery County RainScapes program provides County property owners with technical assistance and financial incentives to implement landscape projects that reduce stormwater runoff volume and improve water quality on private property. It was developed and is administered by Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to respond to State and County requirements to reduce pollution and degradation of local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. The Town of Chevy Chase is a RainScapes targeted neighborhood because of its stormwater contribution to the Coquelin Run and Rock Creek watersheds. In the spring of 2014, DEP started a program that offers individual property evaluations and design workshops on eligible landscape techniques for Town residents who want to participate. Projects completed in conformity with RainScapes requirements are eligible for DEP rebates, up to a maximum of $2,500. Even with the technical assistance provided by the County, many residents are finding the process of using the site assessment and getting to the next steps of design, plant selection, and installation to be complex and cost-prohibitive. In order to help as many Town residents as possible realize their RainScapes projects, the Climate and Environment Committee has proposed this three-part Town program. The first part will provide technical assistance to the homeowner in designing eligible landscaping projects; the second will provide a rebate equal to that provided by the County’s RainScapes Rewards Rebate Program; and the third part will provide additional compensation for the most expensive project type – removing pavement and replacing it with a permeable substitute. The Climate and Environment Committee has proposed that the Council fund this program at $100,000 per year for a period of three years. Detailed information on the proposed program is available here. If you cannot attend the September 10 Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall, you may submit comments to the Town Office at 4301 Willow Lane or townoffice@townofchevychase.org prior to the meeting.