Seattle Public Utilities wants residents in certain areas of Ballard to make landscape improvements to help control storm water runoff and is willing to foot about 90 percent of the bill.

"For anyone who wants to redo their lawn, here is a way to get motivated," Seattle Public Utilities' Tracy Tackett told attendees at the Jan. 13 Ballard District Council meeting.

In March, Seattle Public Utilities will be starting its RainWise program to encourage city residents to add storm water control features, such as cisterns, rain gardens and porous pavement, to their property.

The area of Ballard between Northwest 65th Street and Northwest 85th Street and 15th Avenue Northwest and 33rd Avenue Northwest is a combined sewer overflow area. Because of this, anything that is done to improve runoff on private property affects the whole system, Tackett said.

Seattle Public Utilities will offer a rebate, which is often worth about 90 percent of the cost of a project, to homeowners in that area who add RainWise features to their property, Tackett said.

The city is also offering to install rain gardens in parking strips in that area of Ballard for any neighbors who are interested, she said.

If there is a 12-foot-wide parking strip, the city will cut into it to create the rain garden and only needs the consent of one homeowner, Tackett said.

If the parking strip is smaller than that, the city would built a curb bulb to house the rain garden. This needs the approval of the entire block because it affects parking, she said.

"We will put as many as people are interested in between now and 2014," she said.

There are other areas outside the specific portion of Ballard mentioned that can qualify for the city's rebate.

Residents can visit the RainWise Web site, click the "RainWise Tools" link on the right side of the screen, and enter their address to see if they qualify.

Tackett said Seattle Public Utilities is also looking for early volunteers in the area to serve as an example of the program. The city would pay 100 percent of the cost for early volunteers and would get started now instead of in March, she said.

The purpose of the RainWise program is to decrease storm water runoff, which can cause floods and pollute the Puget Sound, by helping it soak into the soil, according to Seattle Public Utilities.

Anyone interested in being an early volunteer for the RainWise program can call Seattle Public Utilities' Bob Spencer at 684.4163. Everyone else can get started by calling 633.0224 or visiting the RainWise Web site.