Want to get a little cash back for making your yard more environmentally friendly? The City of Ankeny will again be offering home and business owners the opportunity for reimbursement when they integrate stormwater management features into their property. Now in its third year, the popular reimbursement program was given a $20,000 budget for 2012.

The goal of this program is to encourage individual landowners and businesses to incorporate stormwater best management practices (BMPs) on their property to improve water quality and reduce water runoff. Examples of BMPs include rain gardens/bioretention cells, soil quality restoration, pervious pavement systems, native planting buffers/swales, and rain barrels. Runoff is the water that runs off impervious surfaces from rain, snow melt, and surface drainage. Impervious surfaces are hard surfaces where water is unable to soak or infiltrate into the ground including paved streets, driveways, and roof tops.

"The main objective is for home and business owners to think about capturing and infiltrating or reusing the water that falls on their property," said Amy Bryant, environmental engineer and part of the City's Municipal Utilities department. "Making small changes can quickly have a large cumulative effect." Bryant says the response the previous two years was exceptional and program funds were allocated before the end of the calendar year. "Many residents have added rain barrels to their homes, but we have also seen an increase in native landscaping and soil quality restoration projects."

The program is intended to help cover the cost of materials and/or contractor labor to install such practices. The City of Ankeny will provide a 50 percent match on BMPs, up to $1,000. Rain barrels will be funded at 50 percent with a maximum of $75 and a limit of one per address. Multiple practices are allowed, however the maximum contribution to a specific resident or address will be $1,000. Funding is available to applicants on a first-come basis and is subject to the approval of the Municipal Utilities staff and director.

Applications are being accepted now and can be found on the city's website at www.ankenyiowa.gov and go to Municipal Utilities and look for "Reimbursement Program." For more information or questions about this program, contact Amy Bryant at 515.963.3520 ext. 4408 or email abryant@ankenyiowa.gov.