What is Rain Ready Alabama?
Rain Ready Alabama is a statewide program that helps property owners, communities, and schools implement practical stormwater solutions that reduce runoff, improve water quality, and enhance watershed health. Support is provided through financial assistance, education, and workforce development to reduce nonpoint source pollution. The program is supported by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management through a Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grant.
Programs serve homeowners, businesses, contractors, and local governments, with opportunities ranging from simple water-saving practices to large-scale restoration. Through Rain Ready Alabama, you can participate in:
- Stormwater Reimbursement Program
- Low Impact Development (LID) & Green Infrastructure Program
- Streambank Stabilization
- Septic Pump-Out Program
- Rain Barrel Program – Capture and reuse rainwater while reducing runoff
- Low Impact Development (LID) & Green Infrastructure Program
- Rain Barrel Program Capture and reuse rainwater while reducing runoff
- Municipal and County Partnership Program
- Provide technical assistance, training, and funding to local governments in Alabama
- Workforce Development Program
- Training and opportunities for contractors and new professionals
Explore the programs below to find out how you can get involved and make an impact in your community.
Stormwater Reimbursement Program
Low Impact Development (LID) & Green Infrastructure
Low Impact Development (LID) refers to simple, nature-based practices that manage stormwater close to its source. Instead of allowing rainwater to run off hard surfaces and carry pollutants into streams, LID practices help slow down, absorb, treat, and in some cases allow reusing stormwater on-site.
Eligible projects may receive reimbursement for 75% of costs, up to $5,000 per household. Larger projects (e.g., HOAs and businesses) may qualify for additional funding. Eligible practices include rain gardens, bioretention, permeable pavement, bioswales, and rainwater harvesting systems.
Streambank Stabilization Program
Streambank restoration focuses on stabilizing and repairing eroded streambanks to reduce sediment pollution, protect adjacent property, and improve long-term water quality.
These projects help restore natural channel function and enhance overall watershed health. Eligible projects may receive reimbursement for 75% of total costs, up to a maximum of $15,000.
Septic Pump-Out Program
Septic pump-outs are a routine maintenance practice that removes accumulated waste from a septic tank, helping systems function properly.
Without regular maintenance, septic systems can release harmful bacteria and nutrients into groundwater and nearby streams. Routine pumping helps prevent system failure, protect water quality, reduce health risks, and extend system life.
Eligible septic system owners within qualifying watersheds may receive reimbursement for 75% of the pump-out cost, up to $500. Reimbursements are issued directly through the service provider.
Reimbursement & Project Assistance
How Reimbursement Works
For LID and Streambank Stabilization projects, follow four easy steps:
1. Interest- Submit Interest Form (homeowner/HOA/business)
- Eligibility review
- Approved to proceed with Application
- Project planning (with Rain Ready Alabama assistance)
- Submit application
- Review and approval to proceed with Implementation
- Complete work per approved plan
- Submit Reimbursement Form
- Review and payment issued to Program Participant
How Reimbursement Works
Septic pump-out program reimbursements follow three simple steps:
1. Application- Submit application
- Review and approval to proceed with Implementation
- Pump-out completed as approved
- Submit Reimbursement Form
- Review and payment issued to Septic Service Provider
Project Assistance
Need help with your project? We can help connect you with technical resources, local professionals, and partner contractors.
Fill out one of our interest forms or contact us at rainready@auburn.edu to get started.
Rain Barrel Program
Get a Rain Barrel
for Your Home!
The Rain Ready Rain Barrel Program makes it easy to get started reducing runoff and reusing water at home. Participants attend a live 1‑hour online workshop and receive a discount code to purchase a rain barrel for $30, delivered directly to their door.
The workshop covers installation, use, and maintenance, and is open to anyone in Alabama (limit of one barrel per household). It’s a simple, practical way to conserve water and help protect local waterways.
Online Rain Barrel Workshop RegistrationMunicipal and County Partnerships Program
Rain Ready Alabama partners with local governments, including municipalities, parks and rec departments, and counties, to advance watershed improvement, implement LID stormwater infrastructure, and erosion control projects in eligible areas across the state. Through this program, Rain Ready Alabama provides:
- Technical guidance and planning support
- Training for engineers and staff
- Project identification and prioritization
- Implementation support for high‑impact stormwater projects
These efforts are focused on impaired watersheds, where reducing runoff and erosion can lead to meaningful improvements in water quality.
Roadside Drainage Stabilization
We partner with county highway departments and county engineers to stabilize roadside ditches and drainage channels, reducing erosion and sediment runoff from local road systems. Support includes identifying priority areas, developing site-specific plans, training staff, and assisting with implementation to achieve durable, long-term stabilization solutions.
Contact us at rainready@auburn.edu
to learn more about this program and eligibility.
Workforce Development Program
Are you a contractor interested in getting involved? Rain Ready Alabama offers opportunities for technical training, project experience, and project funding participation. We also offer hands-on training opportunities for trainees looking to gain on-the-job training and participate in real-world projects.
Email us at rainready@auburn.edu to learn more about our contractor partnerships and workforce development programs.
Partner Contractors:
RJ’s Contractor Works LLC
- Phone: 334-333-6581
- Email: Rjscontractorworks@rjsworks.com
Why Stormwater Matters
Stormwater runoff creates two major challenges: how much water runs off (quantity) and what that water carries with it (quality). As communities grow and more surfaces like roads, rooftops, and parking lots replace natural ground cover, less water can soak into the soil. Instead, runoff moves faster and in greater volumes, overwhelming storm drains, increasing flooding, and causing streambank erosion that can damage property and degrade the quality of waterways.
Stormwater picks up pollutants as it travels. Runoff can carry sediment, fertilizers, oils, bacteria, and other contaminants from everyday surfaces directly into streams and rivers. These pollutants contribute to water quality impairments, meaning waterways may no longer be safe for uses like swimming, fishing, or drinking. Across Alabama, many assessed water bodies are considered impaired, often due to sediment, nutrients, and pathogens linked to stormwater runoff.
Managing stormwater is especially challenging in Alabama. The state receives significant rainfall (with areas like Mobile ranking among the wettest in the U.S.), and common clay soils limit infiltration, increasing runoff. Combined with ongoing development and exposed soils during construction, these conditions make erosion and water quality impacts more severe.
Modern stormwater management is shifting toward practical, source-based solutions. Instead of relying only on pipes and drains to move water away, low impact development approaches like rain gardens, permeable surfaces, rain barrels, and other green infrastructure practices aim to slow down, capture, and treat rainfall where it lands. These methods help reduce flooding, limit erosion, and naturally filter pollutants, protecting waterways while making communities more resilient.
In 2025, the Auburn University Stormwater Research Program partnered with the City of Auburn through an ADEM-funded 319 grant to install LID stormwater practices at Hickory Dickory Park. The project included bioretention cells, permeable paths, cisterns, native plantings, and streambank stabilization to reduce erosion and treat stormwater flowing into a tributary of the Sougahatchee Creek. These upgrades reduced runoff pollution while restoring the park as a functional community space, while giving Auburn University students hands-on experience.
FAQ's
We can help. Start by submitting an interest form, and a member of our team will work with you to identify the most effective solution for your property.
Not necessarily. You can use a preapproved contractor, hire your own, request help connecting with one, or complete the project yourself (DIY) if appropriate.
Timing varies depending on the project, but most steps; application review, approval, and reimbursement, are designed to be straightforward and efficient.
Contact Us
Have questions about eligibility, applications, or projects?
We’re here to help. Email us at: ausrf@auburn.edu