PHOTO: Port Townsend rain garden thrives

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Laura Parsons, city of Port Townsend civil engineer and manager of the Water Street Enhancement Project, checks out one of the 16 recently installed rain gardens, this one on the corner of Tyler and Water streets.

She said the specially chosen plants act as a treatment filter for runoff water from the street that’s typically polluted by oil and other substances left by traffic.

The beehive catch basins catch water overflows in case of a big storm.

Parsons said the city is dedicated to not polluting Puget Sound and keeping the water safe for salmon and other aquatic life.

She said the gardens are performing perfectly.