Portland is planning a $1.8 million public works project to build 32 rain gardens in Sagamore Village to help handle stormwater runoff.

The gardens will be designed to slow down runoff for nearly 17 acres of watershed area that runs into Capisic Brook.

The idea is to remove pollutants in the rain gardens before they get to the brook, which is classified as an Urban Impaired stream, the city said in a Tuesday press release.

Residents are invited to attend a meeting at 10:30 a.m. March 9 in the Shirley McFarland Community Center to learn about the project.

Work is scheduled to begin in April and be completed by the end of October.

The city says the gardens will also help with neighborhood beautification and will slow traffic by narrowing street widths.

The city’s Water Resources staff developed the project as part of the Capisic Brook Watershed Management Plan, which requires compliance with permits issued by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.