The City of Madison Engineering Division invites everyone to help support the stormwater infrastructure system by digging into a couple of programs that beautify the community and get residents involved: Roger Bannerman Rain Garden Program and Adopt-a-Median program.

Roger Bannerman Rain Garden Program
City residents are encouraged to plant rain gardens wherever possible and appropriate. The Roger Bannerman Rain Garden Program focuses on supporting private property owners who would like to build a rain garden in the terrace of their property associate with a street construction project, but the program also is a collection of rain garden resources.

What is a rain garden? Design plans, plant lists and more
Terrace Rain Garden Program
1,000 Rain Garden Initiative
Rain garden specification for commercial sites
Green Infrastructure Study
USGS Rain Garden Study
Everyday Engineering Podcast Episode: Rain, Rain Go in My Garden
Guide: Build your Rain Garden for $100 or less

A rain garden is a garden of native shrubs, perennials, and flowers planted in a shallow depression, which, sometimes, is built on a natural slope.
Rain gardens are often designed to capture and infiltrate water into the ground. A rain garden is a great option for stormwater management as it temporarily holds and soaks in rainwater runoff that flows from roofs, driveways, patios or lawns.

Adopt-a-Median Program

The Adopt-A-Median program is a program for Madison community members to take care and maintain existing traffic calming circles and medians across the City. There are 650 medians in the City. Of the 650, 225 of them are residential street medians. There are 65 adopted, and the remaining 160 are either available for adoption, maintained by a neighborhood association or anonymous volunteer.

Median Eligibility
Not all medians are eligible for adoption in this program. Before working on any median, please review the criteria of eligibility. Medians must:
Be located in a residential 25 mile per hour or less speeds limit area
Have an existing planting bed within city limits
Be available for adoption, not adopted yet

Eligible Adopters
The Adopt-a-Median adopters are from all backgrounds. Anyone can apply to the program. City staff will help adopters through the process. Some examples of past adopters include: neighborhood associations, groups or businesses and volunteers.

Apply to be a part of the Adopt-a-Median program today!
Adopt-a-Median Application