IN: Indianapois School Rain Garden Projects

2. Agenda
 Background
 Implementation
 Crooked Creek Elementary School
 Lessons Learned
 Cold Spring School
 Moving Forward

3. Background

4. EWRI MIB ASCE
“Let’s build a rain garden”
DPW Staff Local Consultants
Steering
Keep Indy Beautiful Steering
Committee
DMD Staff
Committee
“Let’s build a bunch of rain Office of
gardens” Sustainability
Need Funding
“What should the project be
about?”

5. Background – Project Definition
 Work with Marion County Schools to design and install rain
gardens at elementary schools.
 EWRI volunteers will design and oversee installation of rain
gardens.
 Sponsors donate plants and landscaping materials and
heavy labor
 Students and volunteers provide labor to install plants
 Educate students about rain gardens and the benefits of
sustainable design techniques

6. Background - Goals
 Education
 Develop Template
 Beautification
 Community Service

7. Background - Funding
 United Water Green
Infrastructure Grant
 Community Impact
 Local Support
 20% match required
 $20,000

8. Implementation
• School Selection
• Rain Garden Location
Site
• Due diligence
• Volume
• Survey
Design • Plants
• Materials
• Traffic Flow
Construct • Construction

9. Implementation-School
Selection

10. Implementation - Design
 Due diligence
 Runoff volume
 Size rain garden
 Survey and measure
site
 Planting plan

11. Implementation - Construct
 Coordinate with school/students
 Waiver Form
 Student Outreach
 Order/Deliver Materials
 Site Preparation
 Contingency Planning

12. Crooked Creek Elementary School

13. Crooked Creek – Selected Site

15. C
Sedges
C
Bottle
Great Blue Gentian
Lobelia
B
Meadow Sedge
Autumn
Sneezeweed Fox Sedge
A
D
A Marsh
Milkweed
Bromme Hummock
Purple
Coneflower
Cardinal
Flower Sedge Frank’s Sedge

16. Construct - Earth Work

17. Construction Day

18. Construct – Education

19. Education Materials

20. Construction Day

21. Construction Day

22. Construction Day

23. Work Completed

26. Lessons Learned
 Enlist professionals for heavy lifting
 The more, the merrier
 Outlet pipe
 Planning is important
 The more education, the better
 Have fun, get dirty

27. Implementing Lessons Learned:
Cold Spring School

28. Before Construction

29. Due Diligence & Survey

30. Excavation

31. Overflow Pipe

32. Installation

33. Other Activities

34. Finished Product!

35. Rain Gardens Successful Because:
 Provided initial and continuing education for students
and teachers
 Developed template for future garden construction
 Beautification of school property
 Performed a community service by donating time and
labor as well as materials at cost

36. Moving Forward
 Continuing maintenance activities
 Accepting applications for the next rain garden
 Compile process into informal design guide
 Presenting at other venues…
 IWEA
 EWRI

37. Acknowledgements
 United Water Suez Environmental
 ASCE – Metropolitan Indianapolis Branch
 Remenschneider Associates, Inc.
 Lemcke Landscaping, Inc.
 Spence Restoration Nursery
 Stone Center
 Smock Fansler
 Green Leaf Landscaping

38. Contact Information
Katherine Graham
Kgraham@structurepoint.com
(317) 547-5580
Jeremy Kosegi, EWRI Chair
jkosegi@rwa.com
(317) 780-7177

39. Questions?