RiverSmart Homes is a program of the District of Columbia offering incentives to residents to reduce stormwater runoff from their properties. Residents receive a stormwater assessment to determine their eligibility for financial and technical assistance to install one or more of the following features: rain barrels, rain gardens, BayScapes (native plantings), shade trees, and permeable pavers. RiverSmart Homes has installed over 25,000 green features on residential properties since 2008. What is stormwater runoff? Why is it an issue?When it rains on areas that don’t allow water to soak into the ground, it creates “stormwater runoff,” which picks up pollution and carries it to our streams and rivers. Pollutants like litter, oil and gas, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, pet waste, and sediment damage our local waterways. Impervious surfaces prevent the natural soaking of rainwater into the ground.  Examples include paved roads, parking lots, sidewalks, and roofs. When rain hits impervious surfaces like roofs, sidewalks, or streets, it runs along the surface until it reaches a storm drain. During a rainstorm, large volumes of stormwater runoff flow into our waterways-and quickly-bringing the pollution they picked up along the way.What does RiverSmart Homes offer?RiverSmart Homes can help install features that reduce stormwater runoff.  These features include rain barrels, rain gardens, BayScapes, shade trees, and permeable pavers.