Want your Johnson County garden to thrive? Learn about Contain the Rain program

Managing stormwater is about more than just ditches, and it’s easy for Johnson County residents to get involved with their own properties. Contain the Rain, a countywide program, helps with the costs and guides people to find sustainable solutions that also reduce water pollution.

That might mean installing native trees or plants in the yard, planting a rain garden or using a rain barrel. The barrels can catch roof runoff to be used at another time, while rain gardens and native plants soak up water flowing across the landscape and hold it in the soil, decreasing the amount of water going into storm drains.

“Say you have a downspout that’s always draining into one particular area and causing a wet spot throughout the year. Maybe your dog runs through it and gets muddy or it’s just causing issues. That is a great place to look at putting in a rain garden,” said Lesley Rigney, a water quality specialist with the county.

“And then something that was previously a nuisance location can become a beautiful garden with blooms throughout the year. It’s definitely something that can cause an immediate benefit for residents.”

If you’re not sure about what part of your property might be right for such a project, city or county staff can help you plan what to do.

The program has a long list of potential plants that can work, such as little bluestem grass, native columbine, blazing star, butterfly milkweed, purple and yellow coneflowers, goldenrod and asters.

“We want to capture some water and then filter into soil. We don’t want it to stay wet,” Rigney said. “Whatever plants you put in there really need to thrive in both wet and dry situations. We really lean on our prairie plants, our native plants that are indigenous to this region and are used to our climate scenarios.”

Although initially you do have to water a rain garden, once it’s established, it’s relatively low maintenance. With rain barrels, it’s important to drain and properly store them before the winter freeze so they’ll last a long time.

Roeland Park resident Melissa Castillo participated with Contain the Rain in 2023 and 2024.

“It’s super easy and straightforward. The website is easy to follow, and it’s easy to submit a request,” Castillo said.

She has native trees, including pawpaws and serviceberries, and other plants such as fragrant sumac and chokeberry. Her 2024 project completely restructured her back yard.

Before the back yard project, she would get “a little river” of runoff from her neighbor’s house. Now Castillo has noticed that the new plants soak it up before it can even hit her driveway.

Last year, the county funded 187 projects, a 45% increase from 2023. Lenexa led the pack with 69 of those, while Overland Park had 56. The county will fund up to $15,000 per city, but some cities will add money from their own budgets, to allow more people to take part.

In Overland Park, 505 people have participated in the program with 683 projects since it started in 2011, with the program reimbursing $133,449 over 14 years. Slightly more than half of those projects were rain barrels, followed by native trees at 20.1% and rain gardens at 9.1%.

Though the county runs the program, most residents will actually go through their city government to get project approval and reimbursement. Those living in smaller cities, such as Fairway or Roeland Park, contact the county directly.

Rules about what projects are acceptable and the amount of reimbursement are slightly different for each city, so be sure to double check your city’s guidelines.

For instance, Lenexa offers reimbursement up to 75%, with a maximum of $110 for rain barrels and $225 per native tree. In Prairie Village, it’s 50% compensation up to $75 each on rain barrels and up to $150 each on native trees, both with a limit of two.

Typically, the money is available on a first-come, first-served basis each year. Contact your city before starting the project to make sure it’ll be approved.

For more information about Contain the Rain, visit jocogov.org and search contain the rain.