About the Maple School Rain Garden Project| The
City of Kalamazoo was awarded a Clean Water Act Section 319 grant
from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Funds were
directed to the Kalamazoo Nature Center to construct a rain garden
in the Axtell Creek Watershed, in the
City of Kalamazoo, and to hold an educational
workshop. Kieser & Associates served as the technical consultant
on the project to identify a location for the project, design the
rain garden and oversee the construction.
The project location had to fit several criteria:
A courtyard area at the Maple Street Magnet School for the Arts fit all of the above criteria, and a relationship between the school and the project partners existed. Initial investigations involved surveying building drawings and testing roof top drains to determine the flow path of stormwater on the property and the volumes of stormwater that could be intercepted and treated by the rain garden. A rain garden capable of capturing up to a 2-inch storm event from roof top areas over the gymnasium, cafeteria and some classrooms was designed.
Click image to see a larger view in PDF format. By capturing and treating the roof top runoff, the rain garden is estimated to prevent 70,300 cubic feet (526,000 gallons) of stormwater, 225 pounds of sediment, 7.6 pounds of nitrogen and 0.5 pounds of phosphorus pollution from reaching Axtell Creek each year. Reducing stormwater flows to Axtell Creek also helps to prevent stream bank erosion and helps the creek maintain a natural flow regime.
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The rain garden was designed as three cells with a wood chip walking path and a preexisting maple tree dividing the cells. A stormwater manhole was fit with a pipe and an overflow valve to transport stormwater into cell 1. Water can fill all three cells up to a six-inch depth. Any additional water is discharged from cell 3 back into the storm sewer system. Native plants were selected for their ability to grow in various depths of water and soil moisture conditions, with plants adapted to the wettest conditions in cell 1. From August 18 to 22, 2003, 450 cubic yards of soil were excavated to create a 3-cell rain garden capable of holding/treating 5,260 cubic feet of stormwater. An erosion mulch netting, consisting of agricultural straw stitched with degradable thread to a UV-degradable (degraded by light) polypropylene (plastic) netting, was used to prevent erosion from the exposed soils and protect the plants and seeds. The netting is designed to degrade in 45-60 days. The area was planted with live vegetation by Maple School Students on September 12 & 13, 2003.
An educational sign was installed in the rain garden. A dedication event was held on September 26, 2003.
The project has received notable publicity in local publications. |
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