RainSmart Rebates is a two-year residential pilot program for homeowners in the George W. Kuhn Drainage District in Oakland County, Michigan. The District serves all or some of the following communities illustrated in Figure 1: Berkley, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Clawson, Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods, Madison Heights, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, Royal Oak, Royal Oak Township, Southfield, and Troy. The program offers homeowners in these communities up to $2,000 for implementing sustainable stormwater practices like rain gardens, tree planting, and rain barrels. The current available funding is being allocated throughout 2024 and 2025 on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds are distributed. This is the first residential rebate program for stormwater projects in southeast Michigan, and due to overwhelming interest from residents since the program’s launch in January 2024, a waitlist has been initiated for all new applications pending the availability of additional funding.
The RainSmart Rebates Program team from Oakland County’s Office of the Water Resources Commissioner and the Clinton River Watershed Council contracted with the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) to develop the scope, technical specifications, and online tracking system for the program. CWP conducted interviews and research to develop programmatic recommendations and technical specifications for the types of stormwater practices funded through the program. Five programs were surveyed about their program development, implementation, and feedback received post-implementation. Insights and resources from the the following existing successful programs were used to develop the framework for the Oakland County RainSmart Rebates Program:
- Arlington County, VA StormwaterWise
- City of Philadelphia, PA Rain Check
- District of Columbia RiverSmart Rebates
- Mongomery County, MD RainScapes
- Prince Georges County, MD Rain Check
- Seattle, WA RainWise
With the completion of the RainSmart Rebates Program’s structure, function, and technical specifications, CWP worked closely with the Oakland County and Clinton River Watershed Council team to develop a customized, online system using geographic information system (GIS) technologies to power the collection, assessment, and implementation tracking of RainSmart Rebates projects. CWP used Esri’s Survey123 and other ArcGIS Online capabilities to create an interconnected, streamlined system with role- and attribute-based permissions to control viewing and editing access at each unique stage of the process. The online system supports the following program processes:
- Residential homeowners submit applications through an online form
- Program staff review submitted applications in an interactive web app
- Program staff and partners conduct site assessments in the field using an app-based form
- Program staff generate custom PDF reports for completed site assessments
- Program staff review assessed sites, approve those to receive funding, and track implementation progress in an interactive web app
- Public explores completed projects in an open access, interactive web app
As of early March 2024, nearly 400 residential homeowners have applied to be considered for the RainSmart Rebates Program, and site assessments and funding allocation are in progress. Additional rounds of funding may be allocated by Oakland County and administered to applicants on the waitlist. Oakland County may also expand the RainSmart Rebates Program to include additional geographies and/or additional types of properties like businesses and commercial properties in the future. The programmatic research, technical specifications for stormwater practices, and online GIS provide a full-scale framework that supports the ongoing administration of the RainSmart Rebates Program for residential homeowners and sets the County up for success when considering the potential future growth of the program.
Project Contacts:
Jordan Fox (jf@cwp.org) and Chris Swann (cps@cwp.org)
