Let Lynnhaven River Now help you “green” your Lynnhaven watershed home with its Pearl Home Sustainable Yard Program  .This unique program provides specific stormwater management practices to your yard at a significantly reduced cost to you.

In return, you as the homeowner must commit to implementing or maintaining the practice for a defined amount of time.

COMPLETE THIS SURVEY to be considered for this program. Your survey will be reviewed and a site visit scheduled if your property is eligible. A site visit does not guarantee the installation of a practice.

The Pearl Homes Sustainable Yard Program can provide one of the following practices to qualifying homes in the Lynnhaven watershed:

• Pearl Yard Program (a stormwater-friendly urban nutrient management plan)
• Rain barrel
• Rain Garden
• Infiltration trench

Only one practice or feature can be implemented per residence in the program’s contract period.

Each stormwater feature is available at a significant cost reduction to the homeowner.

Pearl Lawn Plan (a stormwater-friendly nutrient management plan)

Value $300 —> Homeowner’s copay $20

Every lawn absorbs fertilizer at a different rate. Once fully saturated, excess fertilizer in your yard runs off during rainstorms directly into our waterways through the storm water system. In an effort to reduce lawn product pollutants we will create individualized Pearl Lawn Plans based on two soil samples. You will receive a plan customized for your lawn suggesting how to best fertilize each fall and spring with year-round advice on water-friendly turf management for the low cost of $20.00.

130-gallon Rain Barrel, professionally installed

Value $400 —> Homeowner’s copay $100 

Rain Barrels capture rain water which can be used to water your vegetation and reduce your water bills. Municipal water contains ammonia, fluoride, and chlorine which is hard on plant growth. Your gardens and vegetation will thrive using harvested rainwater. This tool also helps protect our watersheds from runoff pollution.

Many of our LR watershed homeowners have received 125 gallon rain barrels through our Sustainable Yards program.  This video answers a frequently asked question about rain barrel maintenance.  One of the features of the rain barrel is a small screen on the emergency outfall that is intended to keep mosquitos out of the barrel.  This screen may need to be cleaned occasionally, especially after a very heavy rain storm.  This video below shows the correct and easy way to clean out the small screen. 

Rain Garden

Homeowner’s copay $100

Value $4,000+ —> Homeowner’s responsibility any cost over $4000**

A Rain Garden is a bowl-shaped garden with deep, loose amended soil. The excess water on your lawn or water that flows off impervious surfaces can be directed into the garden and help to recharge groundwater. This reduces the quantity and improves the quality of stormwater runoff. This is also a great way to create a natural habitat for birds, insects, and other species.

Infiltration Trench

Value $4,000+ —> Homeowner responsibility any cost over $4,000**

Homeowner’s Copay $100

A gravel-filled trench that stores runoff temporarily until it seeps into the ground through the bottom of the trench. These practices do not necessarily incorporate vegetation into their design. Instead, they rely on natural soils to absorb runoff and filter pollutants.

 A plan & quote are provided to the homeowner before the agreement is required.

This program is open to single family homes in the Lynnhaven watershed. Rental properties are not eligible unless initiated and contracted by the homeowner. Multi-family units are not eligible for this program.

We appreciate the assistance of our landscape and lawn care experts and our volunteers for helping to plan, design and install these projects and we are grateful to the City of Virginia Beach for providing funding for this important program. We are excited to be able to offer this program to homeowners within the Lynnhaven River watershed again in 2020.

Questions? e-mail Pearlyard@lrnow.org