MANITOWOC — Manitowoc's first city-built rain garden is located at the Visitor Information Center, complete with signage to demonstrate the effectiveness of a rain garden to reduce pollution, said Janet Sosnosky, storm water aide for the Manitowoc Engineering Department.

"We wanted to do a demo one so people would come and see it and get an idea of what it looks like, what it is and then hopefully start building them in their own homes," Sosnosky said.

Sosnosky said there are some rain gardens in Two Rivers, but the VIC garden was the first in Manitowoc, at least in the public eye. She said it is possible that people have already built private rain gardens in the city.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources strongly promotes rain gardens as a way to reduce the amount of pollution from runoffs such as fertilizers entering the storm sewers, she said.

Rain gardens soak up about 30 percent more water than a patch of conventional lawn, according to information presented in a brochure by the University of Wisconsin-Extension and the DNR.

The main focus of the garden should be flowers, but can include grasses, according to the brochure. The gardens should be located near a downspout to receive roof water, according to the brochure.

The DNR encourages planting native and wetter plants to absorb the water, Sosnosky said.

"If we get a huge rain, these should all be able to handle it," Sosnosky said, referring to the flowers and plants outside the VIC.

Manitowoc Landscape donated the design and labor to build the garden, only charging the city for the materials, Sosnosky said.

"It did turn out very nice," Sosnosky said.

"I was very impressed with Manitowoc Landscape. They did an awesome job."

Sarah Millard: (920) 686-2105 or smillard@htrnews.com.