"Water quality is a priority for Rogers City. This is their first major green infrastructure project and the community is building momentum for more to come.” - Samantha Nellis, Director of Conservation Science

Two rain gardens, located on the corner of 4th Street and Michigan Avenue, in Rogers City support the community’s initiative to take action and protect Lake Huron. These rain gardens will capture and filter an estimated 150,000 gallons of stormwater annually, effectively removing harmful pollutants before they can reach Lake Huron. Constructed in fall 2023 after extensive community planning, these innovative stormwater solutions reflect Roger City's ongoing commitment to build a more sustainable future for Lake Huron and reduce the load on the city’s aging underground storm sewer system. 

The rain gardens are 60 feet long and 8 feet wide, and act as large filters for stormwater runoff – rain or snowmelt that flows over the land – before it reaches Lake Huron. Stormwater gathers pollutants like road salt, bacteria, dirt and motor oil from streets and other hardened surfaces. These pollutants can result in beach closures and harm fish and animal habitat, which impacts recreation, tourism and the environmental health of a community. 

There is a lot at work under the surface to assist with filtering these contaminants. In order to create these rain gardens, nearly seven feet of dirt and rock were removed and replaced with layers of stone, soil and sand. These rain gardens collect stormwater from the surrounding landscape and use the combination of soil, stone and plants with deep roots to filter the water before it reaches nearby lakes and streams. The gardens are designed with a depression running through the middle. This design allows for water to pool for filtration, yet also drain quickly to eliminate stagnant water. In extreme rain events, the rain garden will overflow into the existing storm sewer system.

Beyond the benefit of filtering stormwater, the native plants which grow here also serve important pollinators like bees and butterflies. Community volunteers, city staff, Huron Pines staff, and AmeriCorps members collaborated to plant over 200 individual plants in this space. The plantings include dense blazing star with its towering purple flowers, butterfly weed featuring orange clustering blossoms, little bluestem grass, sand coreopsis with daisy-like yellow blooms, and numerous other native plants. Rain gardens like these typically take a couple of years to establish and become lush beautiful spaces. In the meantime, Huron Pines, community volunteers and the city are working to keep the garden weeded and support the growth of the native vegetation. 

This project would not have been possible without the support of Rogers City and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s Sustain Our Great Lakes program.