A city program that aims to reduce the amount of polluted water flowing into the Anacostia has provided local business owner Bryan Simmons with an economic boost.
RiverSmart Homes, started by the District Department of the Environment in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, began in 2009 and gives qualifying D.C. homeowners $1,200 toward landscaping work—such as the installation of rain gardens, pavers and bayscapes—that reduces stormwater runoff.
Simmons, owner of
Green Room D.C., a landscaping company located in Columbia Heights, enrolled in the program in last March. Since then, he's seen a steady increase in his customer base.
Last year the company took on 30 projects, and five of them were through the RiverSmart program. This year almost all of the company's leads have been through the program, Simmons says.
But the growth that Simmons has seen doesn't just lie in the volume of new customers he's received.
Although some of the work is free for the homeowners, they always go beyond the $1,200 credit, Simmons says. "Bare minimum [that customers spend] is $2,000," he says. Simmons says he's even nabbed $25,000 jobs through the program.
"The homeowner is taking the time to make improvements in their yard, so they are receptive to having a good layout," Simmons says. "I encourage as much green space as possible," he adds.
Despite the guaranteed money for contractors, during the early stages of the RiverSmart project, it was difficult keeping some of the bigger landscaping companies on board.
"A few of the initial pervious paver contractors had a minimum project dollar amount that exceeded the types of projects we were recommending," says Jennifer Guillaume, environmental protection specialist for the District Department of the Environment, the government agency that houses the RiverSmart Homes project.
"I encourage as much green space as possible."
But because of the nature of the projects, the program has been a good fit for Simmons' smaller landscaping business.
"It's perfect for me because we do business only in the District," Simmons says. A lot of the other contractors involved worked in the Maryland and Virginia area as well, and wanted bigger projects for more money, he says.
It seems that Simmons' customers appreciate his D.C. roots as well.
When it came time to choose a contractor, Herbert King, a retired police officer living in Northwest, went with Green Room D.C. because it "was the only D.C. number on the list," he says.
Prior to participating in the program, most of King's backyard was a slab of concrete. Stormwater would run down the concrete, into his alley and down an incline, picking up pollutants such as oil and bacteria along the way.
The polluted water would be deposited into the sewer system and ultimately into the District's waterways.
Last April King chose GreenRoom D.C. to install pervious pavers, which ensure that rain seeps into the earth instead of running out of his backyard.
In addition, King had two benches built with a rose and plant garden behind the seating areas. "I was very satisfied with the work. It looks good," King says.
To become a RiverSmart contractor, Simmons had to attend a day-long training session. In the morning, DDOE employees teach the hows and whys of the program.
In the afternoon, contractors meet at a RiverSmart approved home and install a rain garden together, Guillaume says.
Post orientation, Simmons has primarily dealt with the Chesapeake Bay Alliance, the organization that pays the contractors, after he connects with the client.
"I send them an estimate and my design for the space," as well as "before" pictures for approval, Simmons says.
Simmons suggests that homeowners interested in the program should get a move on and apply. "The word is out on the free money so they're kind of backed up [right now]."