Rain Garden Demonstration Sites to Promote Groundwater Protection Madeline Flahive DiNardo,...

Rain Garden Demonstration Sites to Promote Groundwater Protection

Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Agricultural AgentAmy Boyajian, Student Intern

Dr. Christopher Obropta, Specialist in Water Quality

Greg Rusciano, Program Associate in Water Quality

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

What is a Rain Garden?

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

What is a Rain Garden?

• Landscaped areas that treat stormwater runoff.

• Designed to merge two important goals: aesthetics and water quality.

• Can be blended into the landscape and made to look natural.

• Water is directed into them by pipes, swales, or curb openings.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Rain Garden

Project• GOAL: To have the rain gardens

serve as a model for county residents who are interested in controlling polluted runoff and to help recharge the groundwater

• FUNDING: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection grant to Rutgers Cooperative Extension and partial funding from the USDA Regional Water Coordination Program

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2005 Storm Water Management Class

• Storm Water 101

• Storm Water Best Management Practices (BMPs)

• Design and Implementation of Storm Water

• BMPs – Technical and “Backyard” Advice

• Rain Garden Maintenance and Long Term Success

www.rwqp.rutgers.edu

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2005 Rain Garden Partners

• Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County

• Rahway River Association

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2005 Rain Garden Partners

• Walnut Avenue Elementary School, Cranford, NJ

• Hanson Park ConservancyCranford, NJ

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2005 Rain Garden Partners

•Fanwood Public LibraryFanwood Public LibraryFanwood, NJFanwood, NJ

•Woodbridge Health Woodbridge Health Department Department Woodbridge, NJWoodbridge, NJ

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

2005 Rain Garden Partners

Support from Municipal Public Works Departments were Key to the Success of the Projects !

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Rain Garden Plantings

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Rain Garden Plantings

Black-eyed Susan

Cardinal Flower Swamp Rose

Mallow

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Master Gardeners Maintain Rain Gardens

• WateringWatering

• WeedingWeeding

• PruningPruning

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Rain Garden Maintenance

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Rain Garden Education

Children’s Programs

• Walnut Avenue Elementary School

• Fanwood Library

• 85 students participated.

• “Clean Up Messy Town”

Enviroscape

• Tour of Rain Garden

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Program Evaluation

• Identify Identify sources of sources of water pollutionwater pollution

• Identify ways to Identify ways to protect ground protect ground waterwater

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Rain Garden EducationEvaluation ResultsEvaluation Results

• Students could identify Students could identify 50% more ways to protect 50% more ways to protect ground water.ground water.

• On a scale of 1 -3, 3 On a scale of 1 -3, 3 indicating they learned “a indicating they learned “a lot”, students rated their lot”, students rated their learning about protecting learning about protecting ground water as 2.71 and ground water as 2.71 and rain gardens as 2.63.rain gardens as 2.63.

• 68% of the students will 68% of the students will tell someone what they tell someone what they learned about rain gardens.learned about rain gardens.

•96% would like to learn 96% would like to learn more about protecting more about protecting water.water.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Rain Garden Education

Evening tour of Fanwood Rain Garden

• Presentation on “How to Presentation on “How to Build a Rain Garden”Build a Rain Garden”

• Garden toursGarden tours

• Web site: Web site: www.fanwoodlibrary.org/raingarden

• Fact sheetsFact sheets

• PosterPoster

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Program Evaluation

Pre/Post Program Survey10 True / False Questions

• Define Watershed

• Groundwater flow

• Parts of the rain garden

• Proper depth of garden

• Location of rain garden

• Maintenance tasks

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Program Evaluation Results

• 30 Adult participants improved their score by an average of 13%.

• Pre-program survey scores ranged from 40% to 90%. The average score was 63% and the mode was 60%.

• Post-program survey scores ranged from 70% to 100%. The average score was 78% and the mode was 70%.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Program Evaluation Results

• Questions that participants improved their scores on were in regards to:– Parts of the rain garden– Proper depth of a rain garden– Care of native grasses– Limited use of fertilizers in rain gardens

• Follow-up survey looked at:– What participants learned– Number of rain gardens planted– Reasons participants may not have planted rain gardens

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Follow-up Survey Results

• Two residential gardens were planted.

• Two participants plan to install rain gardens.

• Reasons participants did not plant rain gardens:– Poor drainage on property– Labor– Cost

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What’s Next?

• Our fifth community demonstration garden was planted at the Springfield Municipal Building this spring.

• USDA CSREES National Integrated Water Quality Grant.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Questions?

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Thank You !