John Hoffman

Troop 156
Eagle Scout Project Proposal
Rain Garden Construction
At Flick Park, Glenview, IL

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Table of Contents

Section Page(s)

I. Core Proposal
a. Project Overview and Current State 3
b. Purpose and Organizations Benefiting 3
c. Project Details 3
d. Detailed Plan 4
i. Preparations for Planting 4
ii. Workday 1 5
iii. Workday 2 6
iv. Workday 3 8
v. Workday 4&5 9
e. Safety 10
f. Financing the Project 10
II. Letter of Confirmation of Duties 11
III. Before Pictures 12
IV. General Placement 14

V. Rain Garden Rendition 17

VI. Equipment and Supplies 19
VII. Sample Nursery Donation Letter 20
VIII. Sample Nursery Thank You Letter 22
IX. Project Flyer 23
X. Sample Sign-In Sheet 24
XI. Estimated Man-Hours 25
XII. Project Timeline 26
XIII. Project Log 27
XIV. Nursery Contact Sheet 29
XV. Map to Glenbrook Hospital 30

APPENDIX: Research Materials 31

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Project Overview/Current State:
For my Eagle project, I propose to plant a rain garden at Flick Park in Glenview, Illinois,
located at 3600 Glenview Road.

Rainwater is currently directed from the pool and park area into a drainage ditch on the
west side of the pool that guides water around the pool into a detention pond on the north
side of the pool. This detention pond holds water and releases it slowly into the Glenview
sewer system at a rate that helps prevent the municipal sewer system from being
overwhelmed. The system serves its purpose, and is fairly effective, but it is basic and not
aesthetically appealing. The rain garden would improve the efficiency of the current
drainage system, and also make it more environmentally friendly by filtering and
cleaning the water. The area around the drainage ditch is very popular for recreational
activities, and the popular area would be a prime place to demonstrate the aesthetic and
practical capabilities of rain gardens to the general public.

My proposed project is to plant a rain garden along a stretch of the drainage area that
leads to the drainage basin. It will involve preparing the area by clearing the area of
existing “rip-rap” and tall grass which is present at the site of the main inlet of water for
the drainage area, marking the area of the garden then roto-tilling the soil to loosen it,
then planting seeds and plants and finally this project will also involve watering the
garden for two consecutive weekends following the planting of the garden.

Purpose and Organizations Benefiting:

There are multiple purposes for this rain garden.

1. This garden will improve the aesthetic nature of the area in which it is planted,
which will hopefully draw more people to the area for recreational or other
reasons. This aspect of the garden will directly benefit all people who attend Flick
Park as well as the park district, since the rain garden has the potential to bring in
revenue through attracting more people to Flick Park and its pool.
2. The Village of Glenview is giving grants to Glenview citizens to encourage
people to plant rain gardens; this could serve as an example to anyone looking to
plant a rain garden, and serve as a source of inspiration for them as well. This
means that the rain garden will benefit not only the environment but Glenview
residents who are looking to plant a rain garden as well.
3. This rain garden will function, meaning that, as a rain garden, it will alleviate
some of the pressures on the municipal sewer systems by absorbing large amounts
of rain water and filtering the rain water that goes through it, which lowers the
level of polluted rain water in the area. This means that the rain garden will
directly benefit the local environment as well as Glenview residents who may
experience storm sewer backup and blockage less frequently.

Project Details:

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 A. Size: The rain garden will take up a rectangular area of 10 feet across and 150
feet long.

B. Location: The garden will run along the west side of the pool. It will begin
where there are presently “rip-rap” rocks located at the bottom of an
embankment that runs alongside the west side of the pool-house/pool.

C. Plants: Plants will be obtained from two to three sources.

1) Plugs: The park district has purchased a ¼ acre “Sedge Meadow Seed
Mix” from the JFNew plant supplier. They will plant some of the seeds
at a local nursery (Community Park West) in an area fenced off to
prevent the seedlings from being eaten by predators so that they can
provide approximately 500 small plants to be planted in the garden.
The types of plants included in the seed mix can be seen on Page 18.

2) Seeds: Other color-specific seed mixes will also be purchased by the

park district so that certain areas of the garden can be planted with
seeds that will result in pockets of color. I will consult with the Park
District’s gardening manager to confirm the layout of these areas.

3) Soliciting donations from Local Nurseries: This will be a secondary

method to acquire plants for the project. While the Park District is
willing to provide ALL plugs and seeds for this project, they would
appreciate any donations to the effort. Therefore, I will fax as many
local nurseries that I can find to solicit plant donations to be received
prior to the planting work dates. The donation request letter, along
with the list of potential plants or seeds, is included in this packet on
Pages 17.

D. Layout: The proposed layout of the garden area with its areas of color can be
found on Page 14. The layout will be finalized with the Park District gardener
before proceeding.

Detailed Plan:
Preparations for Planting

In the weeks prior to Workday 1:

I will solicit plant donations from local nurseries, keeping a chart of those contacted and
the results of the contact. The chart can be found on Page 26. I will ask that any donations
of seeds or seedlings be delivered to my home, located at 1516 Meadow Lane in
Glenview, for storage prior to the workdays. Any nurseries that donate will be sent a
thank you card.

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A representative of the Glenview Park District (Mike Moorman) will be monitoring the
planting and maintenance of the seeds at Community Park West. The maintenance of
these plants is not one of my responsibilities, but I will check on them from time to time
and note their progress or lack thereof. If they do not grow well, the Park District has
agreed that the garden may be planted entirely in seeds.

I will consult with the Park District’s gardening coordinator about the layout of the
garden in regards to the location of pockets of color.

I will recruit workers. I will need at least 10 workers throughout the day on both
workdays. I will put up flyers throughout Glenbrook South High School, I will advertise
my project at scout meetings and pass around a signup sheet, and I will call both scouts
and friends to both solicit and confirm their participation and when they will participate. I
will also remind all workers prior to the workday to bring sturdy gardening gloves, and I
will call workers specifically to confirm any tools which they can provide. See the
attached flyer and sign up sheet, on Pages 20 and 21.

To ensure that we have all of the tools necessary to carry out the project, I will request
that the workers who are supplying tools to bring them to my house (1516 Meadow Ln,
Glenview, IL 60025) before the workdays.

I will obtain the equipment necessary to carry out this project. See the attached
Equipment chart on Page 16.

Workday 1: Friday, April 18, 2008

Times TBA (one shift, no lunch, very short day)

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
a) Measuring out and marking the boundaries of the garden area in
preparation for the Park District to roto-till the area;
b) Restoring the rip-rap at the water inlet at the southeast corner of the
garden.

Prior to workday one I will recruit three scouts to help me, calling the night before to
confirm their commitment and the place and time to meet. I will also confirm with Mr.
Fred Gullen (Superintendent of Park Services) the reservation of the fieldhouse
bathrooms to ensure that they will be open and available for all three workdays.

I will arrive at the garden site an hour before the time the workers are scheduled to arrive
to meet with the Park District staff who will be bringing the roto-tillers and will be
providing a roto-tilling service. I will bring the cooler of water and soda for the workers,
and set up a card table with sign in/sign out information. I will also bring a
comprehensive first aid kit.

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Once the workers arrive I will give a short talk on what I expect to achieve for the day,
how to plant seeds effectively, and a short safety talk about the tools they will be using. I
will also remind the workers to sign in.

The Park District will provide roto-tilling services to loosen the soil at the site at a
mutually agreed upon time. Before this is done, I will use the workers to help me locate
and mark the area of the rain garden. The southeast corner of the garden is marked by a
water inlet, easily located amongst a small area of tall grass and stones (rip-rap). I will
have two workers measure out 10 feet due west of the inlet, using a compass to check the
direction. I will mark that line with spray paint, being careful not to spray on top of the
measuring tape. From the corners, we will measure 150 feet due north, again spray
painting to mark those lines. Finally, we will mark the 10 foot line running east/west that
forms the northern boundary of the garden.

While the tall grass in the inlet area will be retained, the rip-rap rocks present in the area
surrounding this inlet have become partially buried from erosion over time. I will direct
my workers to dig out the rocks, being careful not to greatly disturb the tall grass. Once
they have been dug out, the excess dirt will be brushed off with towels. Once the rocks
are out of the ground, I will direct one worker to use a shovel to move the dirt around to
soften the edges of the holes so that the rocks can be replaced without sinking right back
into the holes. After that has been completed, my workers will lay the rocks back into the
area, making sure that they are more exposed. Additional rocks provided by the Park
District will be added to expand the area so that the rocks help to prevent erosion in the
area.

After the area has been marked and the existing rip-rap area has been restored, I will
dismiss all but one of my workers, keeping a buddy to stay and watch the roto-tilling
process.

Cleanup:
• Roto-tillers will be cleaned by park-district Staff
• Workers who brought tools will be asked to take them home when they leave.
If the tools are needed longer than they are staying for, I will keep the tools
and drop them off at their house after Workday 3 has ended on Sunday, April
20th.
• Tools which are not being taken by workers or by the Park District Staff will
be cleaned by wiping excess dirt off with old towels supplied by myself.

Workday 2: Saturday, April 19, 2008

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
a) Seed the entire rain garden;
b) Create a path of paving stones
c) Place an erosion blanket down over the planted seeds
d) Water garden

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 Shift Times:
Shift 1 9:00 am –11:30 am
Lunch 11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Shift 2 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

I will arrive at the garden site at 8:00 AM to meet with the Park District staff who will be
bringing the seeds. I will bring the cooler of water and soda for the workers, and set up a
card table with sign in/sign out information. I will also bring a comprehensive first aid
kit.

Once the workers arrive I will give a short talk on what I expect to achieve for the day,
how to plant seeds effectively, and a short safety talk about the tools they will be using. I
will also remind the workers to sign in.

After the ground has been roto-tilled, it must be raked to break up any large clumps of
soil and to break down the surface into small particles. Also, any large clumps of grass
will need to be manually removed by the workers who are raking. The grass will be
disposed of in paper yard-waste bags. Thus, I will ask half of the workers to begin raking
at the southern end of the garden, while the other half begins working at the northern end,
breaking up clumps of soil, smoothing the surface and removing grass. Once they meet in
the middle, we will be ready to begin sowing the seeds.

While the workers are raking the soil, I will begin marking the areas that have already
been raked and that are to receive color-specific seed mixes with spray paint, using the
measurements as shown on my planting layout as a guide. Once the workers have
finished raking, I will assign 2-3 workers to sow the seeds in each area. Using the
broadcast method of sowing seeds, the workers will be instructed to simply scatter them
evenly throughout the marked area, and then to gently rake the soil to help them sink off
the soil surface.

The Park District has asked that a walkway be built across the garden approximately
halfway down so that people may cross the area without having to walk to one end or the
other. The path will be 2 feet wide and laid with flat paving stones provided by the Park
District. I will instruct my workers to measure 75 feet down one side of the garden to
determine the location for the path. I will look over the area to make sure that it has been
raked smooth. The workers will lay out the paving stones leaving about an inch in
between to form a path 2 feet wide and 10 feet across. When laying them in place, they
will be instructed to lay the stone where it is to be located, and move it back and forth
gently a few times to work it down into the top layer of the soil to ensure that it is stable.

Once the entire garden has been sown with seeds and the paving stones placed for the
path, the garden will be ready to be covered with the erosion blanket. The erosion blanket
will help to keep the soil in place while being porous enough to let water and sunlight in
so that the seeds can grow into plants. I will have my workers carry the roll the erosion
blanket to the southern edge of the garden. We will move gently over the garden,
unrolling the blanket until we reach the stone path halfway down. At this point, we will

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cut the blanket and move the roll to the other side of the pathway to repeat the process. In
the meantime, I will have a second group of workers putting in stakes every 10 feet down
each edge of the blanket. This process will continue until the entire garden has been
covered.

Finally, the entire garden must be watered to start the germination process. I will have my
workers hook up the hoses to the Park District water supply at the pool house to water the
garden using a light spray, until all of the soil has been wet. They will then turn off the
water, disconnect the hoses, and roll up.

At 11:30 I will serve the pizza that my mother will have picked up from Little Caesars.
We will then break for half an hour for lunch until the second shift people come. I will
remind the workers both arriving and leaving to sign in and out.

Workday 3: Sunday, April 20, 2008

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives of this workday will be to

a) Plant all plugs
b) Spread mulch
c) Water entire garden

Shift Times:
Shift 1 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Lunch 12:30 pm – 1:00 pm
Shift 2 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The park district will deliver the plugs and the mulch to the site prior to 7:00 am on this
workday. I have computed that the amount of mulch needed is about 125 cubic feet (just
under 14 cubic yards) to spread it around the garden in a uniform thickness of about 1
inch. I will ask for 15 yd3 to be sure that we have enough.

I will arrive at 9:30 am with the tools that I am providing, the sign in/sign out sheet (with
a card table and a few pens), a comprehensive first aid kit, a water cooler, and two garden
hoses. I will set up and then sort the plugs by type of plant.

Once the first workers arrive, I will ask them to help me mark where the plugs are to be
planted. Again using the spray paint and a tape measurer, I will use the measurements
noted on my layout guide to locate where each plug is to go and mark it lightly with a
small circle of spray paint.

Once the area has been marked, and more workers have arrived, I will repeat what I did
on the first workday—give the workers a small safety talk and remind them to sign in and
sign out, and instruct them about the correct method for planting plugs. I will also show
them where each type of plug is located.

Instructions for planting plugs:

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 1) Carve out a small hole through the erosion blanket (~5 inch diameter) with a
garden trowel.
2) Dig a hole deep enough so that the top of the plug is even with the dirt level after
it is planted.
3) After the plug is placed in the hole, pack dirt around it firmly.

Starting at the south end of the garden, I will point out each area where plugs are to be
planted and assign workers to plant those plugs, letting them know which type of plant
goes where. We will work until the lunch break and start again immediately afterward
until the task has been completed.

At 12:30 pm, the first shift ends, and we break for a half an hour for lunch. I will again
have my mother pick up the pizza at Little Caesars and be ready for the break at 12:30.

After all plugs are planted I will instruct the workers to evenly distribute the mulch layer
to about an inch thickness on top of the erosion blanket, and in-between the paving stones
of the path.

Instructions for how to evenly distribute mulch layer:

1. To transport mulch to an area, I will designate six scouts to load wheelbarrows
full of mulch to designated areas around the garden and to dump the mulch there
(if the mulch is dumped directly on the plants it may kill them).
2. Once the mulch is dumped, the workers will CAREFULLY begin to spread the
mulch with their hands where the area of the garden has plugs planted, and for
stretches of seeded area which have no plant parts sticking out of the ground,
using the back of a simple garden rake will be more effective and faster.
3. During the mulching process I will do quick visual checks to determine whether
some areas of mulch need to be more evenly distributed or not.

Once the mulch has been laid, I will again have the workers water the entire garden as
they did on the previous workday to continue helping the germination process.

At this point, the garden installation will be complete. I will have workers gather all tools
and equipment to take to the cars and thank them for their help.

Workdays 4 and 5 (Saturday, April 26 and Saturday, May 3, 2008)

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To water the entire garden

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (or until watering is complete)

The Park District has requested that I water the plants for two consecutive weekends after
planting. Prior to these days, I will enlist and confirm the help of three workers via
telephone to water the garden.

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I will arrive at the site at 9:30 AM to ensure that all of the hoses are set up by the park
district, and if there is a problem with anything, I will call Fred Gullen, and if he is
unavailable, Ken Wexler. I will bring a clipboard and pen for the sign-in/sign-out sheet
and I will bring a comprehensive first aid kit and three bottles of water for my workers
and for myself.

Upon arrival, workers will be instructed that the area should be sprayed with a decent
amount of water to wet the soil, but not so much water that there is an excessive amount
of runoff, which could wash away seeds or damage planted plants.

The watering process will take about an hour, and when the process is complete, I will
thank and dismiss my workers. The hoses will be left as they were upon my arrival
(coiled up by the spout).

Safety:
The workers will be briefed each day about the tools that they will be using, and how to
safely handle and act around them, specifically:
• The tools are not toys, and should not be treated as such; they should be
handled carefully and used for only the jobs that they were designed.
• There should be no horseplay with or around the tools.
• There will be a comprehensive first aid kit onsite, which will be adequate
for most common injuries that occur onsite (i.e. Minor cuts and scrapes)
• A map and directions to the nearest hospital will be onsite as well, and has
been included in this packet.
• Water and refreshments will also be provided to prevent dehydration.
• The field house will be open for resting and bathroom needs.
• They should be dressed in proper attire for this type of physical labor
(long pants to protect from insects and any thorns, and work gloves to
protect their hands)

Financing the Project:

All equipment, food, seeds, plants and other services will either be supplied by the Park
District, fellow workers, or willing nurseries.

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11
Before Pictures

Main drain, which introduces

most of the water into the existing
system

The area
around the
main inlet
drain ↓

This will be the area where the rain garden

will be planted, alongside the pool ↓

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 The current drain
pipe which exists about
20 feet from the start of
the garden area will
need to be recovered
(Rip-rap rocks removed
and cleaned, new rip-
rap rocks added to
prevent erosion, etc.)

↑This is a view of the drainage basin, the place

where water from the rain garden would eventually
end up, and where water from the current system
pools and is gradually released into the sewer
system.

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14
Satellite Image of the Area

Note: this image is outdated, and the area is now fully developed. This image serves as a
better visual representation of where the garden will be in relation to the rest of the area.

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16
Name Description/Purpose Quantity How will it be obtained?
Roto-Tiller Tills and airates the top layer of soil 2 Supplied by Park District
Garden For digging small holes to plant the 15 Supplied by workers
Shovels/Spades plugs or seeds
Work Gloves To protect workers' hands while 15 pairs Supplied by workers
working will be
onsite
Wheel Barrows To transport plugs to the area that 2 Supplied by Park District
they will be planted
Cooler and Ice To keep refreshments cool 1 Cooler Supplied by my parents
Water To keep the workers hydrated and 15 Gallons Supplied by my parents
cool
Pizza For lunch both days Depends Donated by my parents
on Amount
of workers
First Aid Kit Comprehensive 1 Troop First Aid Kit
Mulch To cover the soil after planting and 375 ft Supplied by Park District
seeding cubed
Seeds To plant in lieu of "plugs" (Sedge Quantity Supplied by Park District
Meadow Mix from JFNew Catalogue) to
broadcast
over 1500
sq. ft
"Plugs" Actual plants ~500 Donated by various
nurseries and obtained from
planting seeds at
Community Park West
"Rip Rap" rocks To serve as a small pathway that 20 stones Provided by the Park District
cuts through the width of the garden,
and to airate the water that flows
through there
Spray Paint To mark garden area 4 bottles Provided by Park District
Garden Rakes To evenly spread the Mulch 10 Supplied by workers
Card Table, Pens, Set-up, recording sign-in and sign- N/A Provided by Myself
Pencils, out information, etc.
Clipboard, etc.
Flat Paving To build a pathway halfway down the 25 Provided by Park District
Stones garden
Tape Measure (25 To measure lengths 2 Supplied by workers
feet long)
Scissors To cut erosion blanket 2 Supplied by myself
Old Towels To clean tools after project 5 Supplied by Myself (already
have them)
Cell Phone For emergencies 3 Supplied by workers
Hoses and To water plants after the planting of 3, 100 ft. Supplied by Park District
Nozzles the rain garden Hoses
Compass To maintain direction when 1 Supplied by myself
measuring
Yard Waste Bags To dispose of the grass after roto- 10 Supplied by Park District
tilling

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***SAMPLE NURSERY DONATION LETTER***

January 5, 2008

Lurvey Garden Center

2550 East Dempster Street
Des Plaines, Illinois 60016

Dear Jean Bragdon, (Representative of nursery—in this case, the manager)

My name is John Hoffman, and I am currently seeking donations towards my Eagle

Scout project. Attained by only 2% of scouts, the Eagle rank is the highest and most
distinguished rank in Boy Scouting. The Eagle project is one of the last steps on the road
to Eagle. The purpose of the Eagle project is to demonstrate the scout’s leadership skills
while benefiting the community. It requires a minimum of 100 hours to complete, and
usually is completed over a period of several months.

For my project, I will be installing a rain garden at Flick Park, a public park in Glenview,
Illinois. The rain garden will have approximately 1,500 plants, most of which we hope to
receive from donations from nurseries like yours.

Enclosed with this facsimile is a list of plants that I am looking to include in the garden.

The garden will be planted around Arbor Day this year. However, I need to know as soon
as possible whether or not your nursery might be willing to donate so that I can include
any possible help in my project proposal.

Please provide information about any plants you could provide.

Any help your nursery can give would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you!

John Hoffman,
Troop 156

Home: 1-847-724-4871
Cell: 1-847-757-5850
Fax: 1-847-730-3591
E-mail: choffman40@juno.com

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REQUESTED PLANTS
Height
Scientific Name Common Name * Color Soil* Sunlight*
Permanent Grasses/Sedges
Calamagrostis canadensis Blue Joint Grass 2 4 Green Wet F/P
Carex comosa Bristly Sedge 2 3 Green Wet F/P
Carex lurida Bottlebrush Sedge 2 3 Green Wet F/P
Carex frankii Bristly Cattail Sedge 1 2 Green Wet F/P/S
Carex vulpinoidea Brown Fox Sedge 2 3 Green Wet F/P
Elymus virginicus Virginia Wild Rye 2 4 Green Medium F/P/S
Glyceria striata Fowl Manna Grass 1 5 Green Wet F/P
Juncus effusus Common Rush 1 4 Green Wet F/P
Leersia oryzoides Rice Cut Grass 2 4 Green Wet F/P
Panicum virgatum Prairie Switch Grass 3 5 Green Medium F
Scirpus atrovirens Dark Green Rush 3 5 Green Wet F
Scirpus pendulus Red Bulrush 2 4 Green Wet F
Scirpus pungens Chairmakers Rush 2 5 Green Wet F
Scirpus validus Great Bulrush 4 8 Green Wet F
Spartina pectinata Prairie Cord Grass 3 7 Green Wet F

Temporary Cover
Agrostis alba Redtop 2 2 Green Medium F
Avena sativa Seed Oats 2 2 Green Medium F
Phleum pratense Timothy 3 3 Green Medium F/P

Forbs
Alisma spp. Water Plantain, various 2 4 White Wet F
Angelica atropurpurea Great Angelica 4 # White Wet F/P
Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed 3 5 Pink Wet F/P
Aster novae-angliae New England Aster 3 6 Violet Wet F/P
Aster puniceus Swamp Aster 3 6 Violet Wet F
Aster simplex Panicled Aster 3 5 White Wet P/S
Aster umbellatus Flat-top Aster 1 4 White Wet F/P
Bidens cernua Nodding Swamp Marigold 1 3 Yellow Wet F
Cassia hebecarpa Wild Senna 3 5 Yellow Wet F/P
Coreopsis tripteris Tall Coreopsis 4 8 Yellow Medium F/P
Eupatorium maculatum Spotted Joe Pye Weed 4 7 Purple Wet F
Eupatorium perfoliatum Common Boneset 3 5 Purple Wet F
Filipendula rubra Queen of the Prairie 3 6 Pink Wet F
Gentiana andrewsii Bottle Gentian 1 3 Blue Wet F/P
Helenium autumnale Sneezeweed 3 5 Yellow Wet F/P
Iris virginica shrevei Blue Flag Iris 2 3 Blue Wet F/P
Liatris spicata Marsh Blazing Star 3 5 Purple Medium F
Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower 2 5 Red Wet F/P
Lobelia siphilitica Great Blue Lobelia 1 4 Blue Wet F/P
Ludwigia alternifolia Seedbox 2 3 Yellow Wet F
Physostegia virginiana False Dragonhead 2 5 Pink Wet F
Pycnanthemum virginianum Virginia Mountain Mint 1 3 White Wet F/P
Sagittaria latifolia Broad-Leaf Arrowhead 1 4 White Wet F/P
Silphium perfoliatum Cup Plant 3 # Yellow Medium F/P
Solidago rugosa Rough Goldenrod 2 5 Yellow Medium F
Sparganium eurycarpum Common Bur Reed 2 6 Green Wet F
Spiraea alba Meadowsweet 3 6 White Wet F/P
Spiraea tomentosa Steeple Bush 2 5 Pink Wet F/P
Verbena hastata Blue Vervain 3 6 Purple Wet F
Vernonia fasciculata Common Ironweed 3 7 Purple Wet F/P
Zizia aurea Golden Alexanders 1 3 Yellow Medium F/P/S
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Dear (insert name of the representative of the Nursery),

I wanted to personally thank (insert nursery name) for its contribution to my eagle
project. The contribution of (insert specific list of plant or seed contributions) helped
make the rain garden a success. The rain garden is planted at Flick Park in Glenview, IL.
Hopefully you will have a chance to visit the area in a few months when the seeds have a
chance to develop. The garden is 150 feet long by 10 feet wide, and will serve the
purpose of improving the existing drainage system of the park in an environmentally
friendly and aesthetically appealing manner. Here are some pictures of planting day:

Insert Pictures Insert Pictures

Again, thank you very much!

Sincerely,

John Hoffman

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 REAL MEN PLANT
RAIN
GARDENS
Wanna be “GREEN”?
Wanna make something that EVERYONE will
see?

John Hoffman needs YOUR help!!

Come to John’s Eagle Project: Planting a Rain
Garden at Flick Park
When?
Friday, April 18th (Roto-tilling and laying
out erosion blanket)
Saturday, April 19th(Planting Seeds)
Sunday, April 20th(Planting Plants and
spreading mulch)
FREE PIZZA LUNCH!!!
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Call John to SIGN UP!!!
1-847-724-4871 choffman40@juno.com

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Sample Sign-in Sheet
Name Time In Time Out E-mail

Total Hours

Estimated Man Hours

22
Category Hours

Concept Development 4

Writing Proposal 24.2

Communication: Meetings and

6.5
Phonecalls and E-mails

Recruiting 3

Workday 1: (Staking out garden area,

cleaning area before roto-tilling
4 workers x 3 hrs 12
monitoring roto-tilling process, setting
up erosion blanket etc.)

Workday 2: Planting plugs, small 10 workers x 4 hrs + 1

46
amount of seeding worker x 6 hrs

10 workers x 4 hrs + 1
Workday 3: Seeding and Mulching 46
worker x 6 hrs

3 workers x 1hr + 1
Workday 4: Watering 4.5
worker x 1.5 hrs

3 workers x 1hr + 1
Workday 5: Watering 4.5
worker x 1.5 hrs

Project Evaluation and Writeup 2

Total Estimated Manhours: 152.7

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Project Timeline

Date Task

Winter-Spring 2007 Come up with formalized project concept

Preliminary meeting with Mr. Gullen and Mr. Wexler to discuss

Spring 2007
project

Review Project with Mr. Handler (District Eagle Project

Spring 2007
Coordinator)

Writeup in-depth project proposal with guidance from Mrs.

Spring 2007 until January
Jeanne Barnas and with frequent communication with and
2008
input from Mr. Wexler and Mr. Gullen

Finalize project with Mr. Gullen, Mr. Wexler and Mrs. Barnas,
By January 31st
Have Mr. Gullen sign letter

Call Mr. Wolfson and request a meeting for proposal

By February 7th
presentation to troop committee

Make Presentation to Troop Committee to be able to get it

By February 15th
approved in time for submission to March roundtable

Upon the approval of the troop committee, submit 3 copies of

By February 21st complete proposal to District Eagle Board and request
permission to present the project at the March roundtable

March 12th Presentation to District Eagle Board

Post project flyers, call scouts and friends, make

March 12th-April 18th
announcements at scout meetings, RECRUIT for project days

April 18th Workday 1

April 19th Workday 2

April 20th Workday 3

May 3rd Maintenance

May 10th Maintenance

Get signature from Mr. Gullen stating that he approves of the

By May 17th
project that I have carried out and that it is to his satisfaction

By May 31st Project Evaluation

In the event of a "rain-out" on a project day, these workdates

Note:
(April 18-May 10) will simply be moved 2 weeks later.

24
Project Log

25
 Other Time
Date Activity Participants Location Summary (Min)

Mr. Gullen,
Flick Initial meeting to discuss general ideas and
26-Apr-07 Meeting Mr. Wexler, 75
Park scope for the project
Bio Student

My Discuss project requirements and analyze

28-Apr-07 Meeting Mrs. Barnas 75
House Rain Garden idea

My
28-Apr-07 Writeup N/A First Draft of Core Writeup 120
House

My
29-Apr-07 Writeup N/A First Draft of Core Writeup 120
House

My
1-May-07 Writeup N/A First Draft of Core Writeup 120
House

My Editing and preparing for meeting with Mrs.

1-Jul-07 Writeup N/A 60
House Barnas

Checkup meeting with Mrs. Barnas to

Barnas'
2-Jul-07 Meeting Mrs. Barnas discuss project progress and writeup 50
House
development

My
2-Jul-07 Writeup N/A Editing 90
House

My
4-Jul-07 Writeup N/A Editing 60
House

My
12-Jul-07 Writeup N/A Editing 40
House

My
13-Jul-07 Writeup N/A Editing 60
House

My
25-Jul-07 Writeup N/A Editing 40
House

Mrs. Barnas, 1930

Meeting to discuss project in detail and to
26-Jul-07 Meeting Mr. Wexler, Prairie 60
clarify certain aspects of plan
Mr. Gullen St.

My
26-Jul-07 Writeup N/A Editing and adding supplementary material 100
House

My
14-Sep-07 Writeup N/A Editing and adding supplementary material 40
House

26
 My
28-Sep-07 Writeup N/A Editing and adding supplementary material 60
House

My
12-Oct-07 Writeup N/A Editing and adding supplementary material 40
House

Barnas' Meeting with Mrs. Barnas to discuss first

13-Oct-07 Meeting Mrs. Barnas 60
House draft of writeup

My 60
13-Oct-07 Writeup N/A
House
40
15-Oct-07
20
2-Dec-07
60
12-Jan-08
25
13-Jan-08 Finalizing everything, gathering detailed
information about specific questions,
creating a detailed rendition of the rain 40
15-Jan-08
garden, researching plants, etc.
25
23-Jan-08
50
24-Jan-08
40
25-Jan-08
60
27-Jan-08

Mr. Gullen, 1930

28-Jan-08 Meeting Mr. Wexler, Prairie Discussed finalizations to the writeup 45
Mrs. Barnas St.

My
3-Feb-08 Writeup N/A Editing 40
House

Barnas' To finalize the proposal and get it ready for

26-Feb-08 Meeting Mrs. Barnas 26
House Committee approval

To make final edits as suggested by the

My
1-Mar-08 Writeup N/A Committee, organize writeup, and HAND IT 40
House
TO MR. HANDLER

Total Time in Minutes: 1841

Total Time in Hours 30.68

Nursery Contact Sheet

27
 Phone or Fax
Date Nursery (P/F) Comments, Progress

Hospital Directions

28
DIRECTIONS TO GLENBROOK HOSPITAL FROM FLICK PARK

Directions Distance Total Est. Time: 5 minutes Total Est. Distance: 1.84 miles

1: Start out going EAST on GLENVIEW RD toward REVERE RD. 0.2 miles

2: Turn LEFT onto GREENWOOD RD. 0.3 miles

3: Turn LEFT onto E LAKE AVE. 0.8 miles

4: Turn RIGHT onto PFINGSTEN RD. 0.3 miles

5: End at 2100 Pfingsten Rd (Glenbrook Hospital)

Glenview, IL 60026-1301, US

29
Research Appendix

30
Rain garden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Business parking lot that drains to a rain garden. A sunken curb retains asphalt, yet lets water flow off the
edges.

A rain garden is a planted depression that is designed to absorb rainwater runoff from impervious urban
areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, and compacted lawn areas. This reduces rain runoff by allowing
stormwater to soak into the ground (as opposed to flowing into storm drains and surface waters which
causes erosion, water pollution, flooding, and diminished groundwater).[1] Rain gardens can cut down on
the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.

Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they generally don't require fertilizer and are more
tolerant of one's local climate, soil, and water conditions. The plants — a selection of wetland edge
vegetation, such as wildflowers, sedges, rushes, ferns, shrubs and small trees — take up excess water
flowing into the rain garden. Water filters through soil layers before entering the groundwater system. Root
systems enhance infiltration, moisture redistribution, and diverse microbial populations[2] involved in
biofiltration. Also, through the process of transpiration rain garden plants return water vapor into the
atmosphere. A more wide-ranging definition covers all the possible elements that can be used to capture,
channel, divert, and make the most of the natural rain and snow that falls on a property. The whole garden
can become a rain garden, and all of the individual elements that we deal with in detail are either
components of it, or are small-scale rain gardens in themselves.

The concept of a rain garden began in the 1990's in the state of Maryland. They are now one of the fastest
growing areas of interest for home landscapes.

31
 Contents

• 1 Mimicking natural systems

• 2 Mitigating the impact of urban development
• 3 History
o 3.1 Context
• 4 Characteristics
o 4.1 Soil and drainage
o 4.2 Plant selection
o 4.3 Mulch
o 4.4 Winter processes
• 5 Other municipal rain garden projects
• 6 External links
• 7 See also

• 8 References
Mimicking natural systems

Before an area is developed, a natural groundwater filtering process takes place. Rainwater flows into low
places, where native plants soak up and transpire a small portion of the water. The rest percolates into the
ground. In a natural environment such as this, streams and creeks are fed by cool groundwater at a fairly
constant rate. This water is buffered by groundwater storage capacity, ion exchange with substrates, and
microbial processes within soil. Unfortunately, in most urban environments, the water system no longer
works this way. Rain gardens can mimick some of this natural system.

Rain gardens increase infiltration, decrease surface run-off from roofs, roads, and paved areas, and reduce
the risk of flash flooding. Not all subsurface water percolates down to the ground water. Plant transpiration,
often accelerated by urban heat island effects, speeds evaporation that frees water storage capacity within
surface soil even as water continues percolating from saturated soil below. This is particularly true where
mulch or debris inhibit direct evaporation from a soil surface. Root and microbial exudates, eg. saccharides,
can raise soil's volumetric water holding capacity and retention coefficients for many contaminants. All this
promotes natural biofiltration processes.

Surface run-off not absorbed in the rain garden slows significantly—due to the swale and vegetative barrier
—which reduces sediment load and pollution downstream. Because water moves slower in the ground than
it does over the urban hardscape, rain gardens mitigate peak flow more than just by reducing the volume of
water reaching the outlet.

Mitigating the impact of urban development

In developed areas, the natural depressions are filled in. The surface of the ground is leveled or paved, and
water is directed into storm drains. This causes several problems. First of all, streams that are fed by storm
drains are subjected to sudden surges of water each time it rains[3][4][5], which contributes to erosion and
flooding. Also, the water is warmer than the groundwater that normally feeds a stream, which upsets the
delicate system. Warmer water cannot hold as much dissolved oxygen (DO). Many fish and other creatures
in streams are unable to live in an environment with fluctuating temperatures. Finally, a wide variety of
pollutants[6] spill or settle on land surfaces between rain events. The initial rinse from each runoff event can
wash this accumulation directly into streams and ponds.

Excess water from an expanding area or increasing development density is cumulative. Flooding results
from ever smaller events requiring upgrades of drainage infrastructure. Areas compacted by heavy
equipment during past construction activities remain less permeable long after vegetation is reintroduced.

32
Both groundwater recharge and subsurface flow paths are disrupted. Strategies to retain water and soil at
their source can slow this harmful cascade.

Rain gardens may be located near a drainpipe from a building’s roof (with or without rain barrels), although
if there’s a basement, a French drain may be used to direct the rainwater to a location farther from the
building. Normally, a rain garden—or a series of rain gardens—is the endpoint of drainage, but sometimes
it can be designed as a pass-through system where water will percolate through a series of gravel layers and
be captured by a drain under the gravel and carried to a storm water system. Rapid pass through systems
reduce peak discharge and extend hydraulic lag time of the discharge —reversing urbanization's major
hydraulic impact. However, rapidly drained systems do not achieve pollution removal rates that more
slowly percolating rain gardens do[7].

Runoff volumes from impervious surfaces in many urban cities make green roofs necessary to reduce peak
volumes to magnitudes that areas available for rain gardens can handle. While some rain garden wash
through is acceptable from heavy storms that dilute pollution, depression focused recharge of contaminated
runoff is avoided by proper rain garden design. The simplest fail safe for handling polluted runoff is for a
garden with one inlet not to accept more volume than it can handle, and not pond to sufficient depth to push
water into the water table faster than required for adequate biofiltration.

Rain gardens are beneficial for many reasons: improve water quality by filtering run-off, provide localized
flood control, aesthetically pleasing, and provide interesting planting opportunities. They also encourage
wildlife and biodiversity, tie together buildings and their surrounding environments in attractive and
environmentally advantageous ways, and make a significant contribution to important environmental
problems that affect us all.

A rain garden provides a way to use and optimize any rain that falls, reducing or avoiding the need for
irrigation. They allow a household or building to deal with excessive rainwater runoff without burdening
the public storm water systems. Rain gardens differ from retention basins, in that the water will infiltrate
the ground within a day or two. This creates the advantage that the rain garden does not allow mosquitoes
to breed.

History

The first rain gardens were created to mimic the natural water retention areas that occurred naturally before
development of an area. The rain gardens for residential use were developed in 1990 in Prince George's
County, Maryland, when Dick Brinker, a developer building a new housing subdivision had the idea to
replace the traditional Best Management Practices (BMP) pond with a bioretention area. He approached
Larry Coffman, the county's Associate Director for Programs and Planning in the Department of
Environmental Resources, with the idea.[8] The result was the extensive use of rain gardens in Somerset, a
residential subdivision which has a 300-400 ft² rain garden on each house's property.[9] This system proved
to be highly cost-effective. Instead of a system of curbs, sidewalks, and gutters, which would have cost
nearly $400,000, the planted drainage swales cost $100,000 to install.[8] This webpage has many links to
information on Prince George's County's literature on implementing Low Impact Development (LID) in a
community.

Some de facto rain gardens predate their recognition by professionals as a significant LID tool. Any
shallow garden depression implemented to capture and retain rain water within the garden so as to drain
adjacent land without running off a property is at conception a rain garden--particularly if vegetation is
maintained with recognition of its role in this function. Vegetated roadside swales, now promoted as
"bioswales" remain the conventional drainage system in many parts of the world from long before
extensive networks of cement sewers became the conventional engineering practice in the USA.

What is globally new about such technology is the emerging rigor of increasingly quantitative
understanding of how such tools may make sustainable development possible. This is as true for wealthy

33
developed communities retrofitting bioretention into built stormwater management systems, and for
developing communities seeking a faster and more sustainable development path.

Context
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia.
Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for
suggestions.(February 2008)
This article or section appears to contain a large number of buzzwords.
Please help rewrite this article to make it more concrete and meaningful.

Rain gardens are part of a renaissance of new technologies for sustainable urban drainage systems
(abbreviated SuDs), emerging as engineers, architects, and development planners discover the functional
power of more ecologically, and hydrologically integrated technologies that professionals considered
privative during a time of industrial modernization. Challenges of real human induced ecological collapses,
desertification, and the many facets of global climate disruption are redefining notions of progress.

Inclusion of rain gardens as a legally recognized Best Management Practice (BMP) by the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was a major paradigm shift at the time.[attribution needed] The term "rain
garden" explicitly distinguishes this BMP from conventional detention ponds, infiltration basins, "NURP"
ponds, vegetated swales and increasingly concrete- or gravel-lined conveyance systems engineered for
severe storms in the USA. These systems might not be recognized as swales or ponds by people from other
parts of the world.[clarify]

Popular and legislated demand for "rain gardens" can lead contractors to incorrectly label swales, and steep
rock-lined retention basins as rain gardens. The spread of this new technology, old as its origins globally,
may temporarily outpace technological comprehension of design professionals educated during a period of
strong non-biological bias in the civil engineering discipline of the United States.[citation needed] The physical
reinforcement of soil by plants, bioengineering, is accepted by construction professionals,[attribution needed] but
the vital role of plants in the hydrological performance of rain gardens is less understood.

Adjusting biases of large engineering firms toward deep, high volume, rapidly-drained garden designs with
as much mulch area as plant area requires rigorous research to quantify negative impacts these choices have
on intended rain garden functions of contaminant retention and water purification so that these factor into
economic analysis. Unlike models used for flood management design, optimizing retention of net non-point
source pollution involves continuous simulation models that account for stochastic processes, such as local
weather. While within the capability of a personal computer, these are not yet ubiquitous tools among civil
engineers accustomed to reducing risk of worst-case scenarios.

Phytoremediation, green roofs and rain gardens are part of another paradigm shift as Ecohydrological
Engineering emerges as a profession and Environmental Engineering reaches a status not before enjoyed in
the Civil Engineering community of the USA.[attribution needed] Engineering to ensure sustainability in the full
ecological context is worth big money where it once was considered unprofitable.[citation needed] Perceived
scarcity of healthy water, air, and ecosystems may raise their universally recognized financial import to that
of fuels.

34
 Characteristics

A home rain garden recently planted

A rain garden requires an area where water can collect and infiltrate, and plants to maintain infiltration
rates, diverse microbe communities, and water holding capacity. Transpiration by growing plants
accelerates soil drying between storms. This includes any plant extending roots to the garden area.

Simply adjusting the landscape so that downspouts and paved surfaces drain into existing gardens may be
all that is needed because the soil has been well loosened and plants are well established. However, many
plants don't tolerate saturated roots for long and often more water runs off one's roof than people realize.
Often the required location and storage capacity of the garden area must be determined first. Rain garden
plants are then selected to match the situation, not the other way around.

Soil and drainage

When an area’s soils are not permeable enough to let water drain and filter properly, the soil in the bottom
of the garden is replaced with soil that will help the water to drain, typically containing 60% sand, 20%
compost, and 20% topsoil. Deep plant roots create additional channels for storm water to filter into the
ground. Sometimes a drywell area with a series of gravel layers may be constructed near the lowest spot in
the rain garden to facilitate percolation. However, putting a drywell in the lowest spot washes in maximum
silt to clog it prematurely and can make the garden into a rapid infiltration basin without the intended 100%
retention of small rain events that rain gardens are designed to achieve. Depression focused recharge of
polluted water into wells poses serious ground water pollution threats. Similarly combining septic treatment
adjacent to rain gardens warrants careful review by a qualified engineer. Dirtier water must be more
completely retained in soil to be purified. This usually means more small rain garden basins and greater
required soil depths to the seasonal high watertable. In some cases lined bioretention cells with subsurface
drainage are used to retain small events and filter larger ones without letting water percolate deeply on site.
If this leachate is not to receive further treatment, the soil media warrants careful attention to achieve water
quality goals.

Rain gardens are at times confused with bioswales. Swales slope to a destination, while rain gardens do not;
however, a bioswale may end with a rain garden. Drainage ditches may be handled like bioswales and even
include rain gardens in series, saving time and money on maintenance. If most the water volume flowing
into a garden, flows out again then rain garden may be the wrong term. Similarly, part of a garden that
nearly always has standing water is a water garden, wetland, or pond not a rain garden. These semantics
clarify where certain rain garden functions are achieved. One combines landscape elements to achieve
objectives.

Plant selection

Functional plant traits vary among species and ecotypes, but all plants must transpire to actively grow and
flower or fruit. Generally, more flowers and more fruit require more water, but it is most vital that plants
survive.

35
Plants selected for use in a rain garden should tolerate both saturated and dry soil. Using native plants is
generally encouraged. This way, the rain garden may contribute to urban habitats for native butterflies,
birds, and beneficial insects. Brooklyn Botanical Garden has regional lists of good rain garden plants for
the USA. (See reference, below.) When planting a rain garden, it’s often important to use a generous
addition of compost or humus in each planting hole. The compost increases the retention of moisture and it
increases the aeration of the soil. However, excessive fertilization reduces a soil's retention of nutrients e.g.
nitrates that can leach to groundwater. Native plants well suited to extracting all they need from local soil
can be good candidates in places that must be a nutrient trap. Vegetatively invasive native plants can serve
useful roles in rain gardens provided they do not proliferate to exclude other desired plants, or disrupt the
aesthetic garden design or adjacent lawn. Avoid use of invasive exotic plants in any landscape situation.

Plants must require minimal maintenance to survive, and be compatibility with adjacent land use. Trees
under powerlines, or that up heave sidewalks when soils become moist, or whose roots seek out and needed
clog drainage tiles can cause expensive damage. Other landscape considerations still apply.

Transpiration rates can be worth considering. Submerged plants don't transpire to air. Water readily
evaporates through stomata as sun warms leaves exposed to moving air, while ponded water remains cool.
Arenchyma tissues facilitate oxygen diffusion to submerged roots of many facultative aquatic plants.
Without this many plants are forced to restrain transpiration as inflow of oxygen depleted water--either by
heating in a surface pond, or by respiring microbes in the ground--suffocates plants. This is
counterproductive if such plants shade faster transpiring plants.

Flood tolerance does not guarantee vibrant growth while inundated. Many swamp trees merely suspend
growth during spring floods. Trees generally contribute most when located close enough to tap moisture in
the rain garden depression, yet in no position to shade the garden or be inhibited by excessive moisture.
That said, shading open surface waters can reduce excessive heating of habitat in receiving waters. Plants
tolerate inundation by hot water for less time because heat drives out dissolved oxygen, thus a plant tolerant
of early spring floods may not survive summer floods.

A final note on ecotypes is that one wants plants or seed grown in similar conditions to those of the planting
site. Just because you choose a species that has been observed growing well under 10cm of water, doesn't
guarantee the plants one buys are of that same ecotype. Some facultative wetland plant species produce
plants adapted to both wet and dry conditions, while others have separate ecotypes producing individuals
competitive in uplands or in marshes.

Mulch

Adding organic mulch around plants is a good idea. Mulch protects establishing plants from rapid
desiccation, and otherwise exposed soil from pelting rain drops that collapse pores though which water
enters soil. Mulch traps some matter suspended in runoff even before it infiltrates. However, maximum
transpiration, and support for soil microbes--responsible for biofiltration--is achieved when actively
growing plants cover the soil from varied leaf canopy heights. A living mulch of tiny plants underneath can
exclude weeds and increase net transpiration, but all plants must tolerate runoff debris that naturally
accumulate in depressions.

Lithic mulch protects soil from rapidly inflowing surface water, and makes sense in particularly arid
situations. However separating organic debris-that accumulate from some runoff--from among rocks can be
a task. Degrading organic mulches simply add soil structure and bind nutrients which may be harvested
with excess compost accumulation in the rain garden. Hardwoods are recommended because they do not
float away as readily as softwoods such as pine [10].

36
Winter processes

In climates where winter soils freeze, dormant plants do not transpire. One may presume rain gardens
merely serve as a place to pile snow. However, garden plant structures still serve functions in winter.
Windrows can catch drifting snow so it settles preferentially in piles to the side of roads, doorways, and
paths.

Conifer trees that maintain most their needles or scales transpire slowly in winter, but continue to intercept
significant precipitation, snow, before it reaches the ground. Intercepted snow or ice readily melts and
evaporates, or vanishes by direct sublimation by solar radiation in the dry winter air.

Conifer trees in particular re-radiate winter sun such to accelerate snow thaw on their sun-word side.
Infrared night photographs used to identify homes with poor insulation in cold climates, often show
dormant trees as light blue figures. This is indicating that warmth is conducted through the tree to the air.
This can result in ground temperatures beneath groups of trees significantly warmer than in exposed fields,
thus such microclimates facilitate early thaw and infiltration is spring. The effect of forestry practices on
the distribution of snow accumulation and onset of spring melt has been recognized for more than a decade.

Finally, an observant gardener may notice how snow melts in circles around each tiny plant shoot that
protrudes to the surface. As the sun melts snow, shoots provide fairly direct paths past surrounding ice
crystals that refreeze water percolating into the snow pack. Perhaps dust on shoot surfaces acts as
antifreeze, or adhesion of liquid water to organic surfaces makes it less readily freeze, but the focusing of
daily solar energy into water on these preferential flow paths facilitates focused day time infiltration before
ambient temperatures melt the bulk of the snow. Each shoot leads to roots which shrink as they dry in
winter. Protruding shoots and roots force imperfections in ice lenses that form as water freezes solid within
the snow pack or as a hard frost in soil. Being of different material, plant structures expand, contract, and
dry at different rates than ice. Whatever the dominant mechanisms it appears that protruding plant shoots-
root systems decrease the instance of complete hard frost or ice lens barriers to spring time infiltration. This
area of research has significant implication for management of spring time flooding.

Other municipal rain garden projects

This article or section deals primarily with the United States and does not represent a worldwide
view of the subject.
Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

Maplewood, Minnesota has implemented a policy of encouraging residents to install rain gardens. Many
neighborhoods had swales added to each property, but installation of a garden at the swale was voluntary.
The project was a partnership between the City of Maplewood, U of M, Department of Landscape
Architecture, and the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District. A focus group was held with residents
and published so that other communities could use it as a resource when planning their own rain garden
projects.[11]

In Seattle, a prototype project, used to develop a plan for the entire city, was constructed in 2003. Called
SEA Street, for Street Edge Alternatives, it was a drastic facelift of a residential street. The street was
changed for a typical linear path to a gentle curve, narrowed, with large rain gardens placed along most of
the length of the street. The street has 11% less impervious surface than a regular street. There are 100
evergreen trees and 1100 shrubs along this 3-block stretch of road, and a 2-year study found that the
amount of stormwater which leaves the street has been reduced by 98%.[12]

10,000 Rain Gardens is a public initiative in the Kansas City, Missouri metro area. Property owners are
encouraged to create rain gardens, with an eventual goal of 10,000 individual gardens.

The West Michigan Environmental Action Council has begun encouraging rain gardens as a method of
reducing the mosqito-borne West Nile virus.[13] Rain Gardens of West Michigan was established as an

37
outreach of the Council as one of its water quality programs.[14] Also in Michigan, the Southeastern Oakland
County Water Authority has published a pamphlet to encourage residents to add a rain garden to their
landscapes in order to improve the water quality in the Rouge River watershed.[15]

The city of Atlanta, Georgia, has established a public education project, the Clean Water Campaign
(CWC), to encourage residents to learn about stormwater management and to add rain gardens to their
properties. They do this through community workshops and an official website.[16]

In Delaware, several rain gardens have been created through the work of the University of Delaware Water
Resources Agency, and environmental organizations, such as the Appoquinimink River Association.[17]

References

• Dunnett, Nigel and Andy Clayden. Rain Gardens: Sustainable Rainwater Management for the Garden and
Designed Landscape. Timber Press: Portland, 2007. ISBN 978-0-88192-826-6
• Prince George’s County. 1993. Design Manual for Use of Bioretention in Stormwater Management. Prince
George’s County,MD Department of Environmental Protection.Watershed Protection Branch, Landover, MD.
• Michael L. Clar, Billy J. Barfield, and Thomas P. O’Connor. 2004. Stormwater Best Management Practice
Design Guide Volume 2 Vegetative Biofilters. US EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory.

1. ^ University of Rhode Island's Healthy Landscapes Program article Rain Gardens

2. ^ NASA John C. Stennis Space Center Environmental Assurance Program see article B.C. Wolverton, R.C.
McDonald-McCaleb. 1986. BIOTRANSFORMATION OF PRIORITY POLLUTANTS USING BIOFILMS
AND VASCULAR PLANTS. Journal Of The Mississippi Academy Of Sciences. Volume XXXI, pp. 79-89.
3. ^ Kuichling, E. 1889. The relation between the rainfall and the discharge of sewers in populous districts.
Trans. Am. Soc. Civ. Eng. 20, 1–60.
4. ^ Leopold, L. B. 1968. Hydrology for urban land planning-a guidebook on the hydrologic effects of urban
land use. Geological Survey Circular 554.
5. ^ Waananen, A. O. 1969. ‘Urban effects on water yield’ in W. L. Moore and C. W. Morgan (eds), Effects of
Watershed Changes on Streamflow, University of Texas Press, Austin and London
6. ^ Novotny, V. and Olem, H. 1994. Water Quality: Prevention, Identification, and Management of Diffuse
Pollution. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
7. ^ Dietz, Michael E. and John C. Clausen. 2005. A Field Evaluation of raingarden flow and pollutant
treatment. Water Air and Soil Pollution. Volume 167, pp123-138.
8. ^ a b U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. Nonpoint Source News-Notes.
August/September 1995. Issue #42. "Urban Runoff"
9. ^ "Rain gardens made one Maryland community famous"
http://www.wnrmag.com/supps/2003/feb03/run.htm#one
10. ^ 2000 Maryland Stormwater Design Manual. Volumes I & II. Appendix B.3 & A
11. ^ http://www.ci.maplewood.mn.us/vertical/Sites/{EBA07AA7-C8D5-43B1-A708-6F4C7A8CC374}/
uploads/{E0CE291E-3C1B-4776-B33A-7C5A4C5F5860}.PDF
12. ^ "Street Edge Alternatives (SEA Streets) Project"
http://www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Drainage_&_Sewer_System/Natural_Drainage_Systems/Street_Edge
_Alternatives/index.asp
13. ^ "WEST NILE VIRUS: WMEAC Answers Your FAQ's" http://www.wmeac.org/notroot/westnile.asp
14. ^ Rain Gardens of West Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI. "Rain Garden History"
15. ^ Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority, Royal Oak, MI. "Rain Gardens for the Rouge River: A
Citizen's Guide to Planning, Design, & Maintenance for Small Site Rain Gardens"
16. ^ Clean Water Campaign, Atlanta, Georgia. "Rain Garden"
17. ^ University of Delaware Cooperative Extension. "Rain Gardens in Delaware."

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_garden"

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39