Rain Garden

Top Right: Stormwater problems occurred prior to construction.

Charlie Costanza building the retaining wall.

Karl Krizmanic volunteers to lay pipe.

Roger Bulla and Jim Petsas laying rainwater pipeline.

Linda Bulla and Susan MiHalo planting.

Susan MiHalo adding plant staples to the plants to keep them from heaving up in cold weather.

Nearly finished!

We recently completed a Demonstration Rain Garden in Ogden Dunes!

Rain Garden Benefits:
This garden, planted primarily with perennial native plants, protects water quality in Long Lake Marsh while adding beauty to the the street and yard of the Bulla residence.

Also known as a Stormwater Best Management Practice, this sustainable garden:
**Reduces the ponding of water on the streets and increases public safety.
**Diverts roof rain water to a more productive use.
**Requires little additional watering.
**Traps sediment and other pollutants found in stormwater run off.
**Provides a habitat that is good for butterflies,song birds and other animals.

It’s estimated that this garden will drain more than 6,150 gallons of water a year – enough to fill a tanker truck!

Rain Garden Features:
The garden includes the following elements:

The Rain Garden, which is nearly 200 square feet in size, was created by digging into the slope so that the down-slope area of the garden is the same level as the up-slope area of the garden.

Water is piped from two downspouts on the west side of the home.

Yard basins were placed at the top end of the pipes for easy clean out of leaves and debris. The pipe ends in the center of the retaining wall and is split and baffled to keep the water from eroding the soil in the garden.

The berm was placed at the down-slope area of the garden to prevent soil and water from washing out. Prickly Pear Cactus was planted on the berm to add interest. Mulch was added to the garden and the berm to protect the plants and prevent erosion.

Closer to the street, the area was graded down at a slight angle and filled with gravel to allow water to permeate more effectively from the street. Prior to that, the area was filled with hard-packed soil and grass that was allowing stormwater to flood into the street and overtax the storm drain to the west (SEE PHOTO ABOVE).

Native Plants Help Absorb Rainwater and Pollutants
The following plants, primarily native species, were planted in the garden, which should look much better next summer once the plants get established.
Black Eyed Susan: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=ruhi2_002_ahp.tif
Boltonia Asteroides: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=boas_002_ahp.tif
Compass Plant: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=sila3_002_avp.tif
Coreopsis: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=COLA5&photoID=cola5_004_avp.tif
Goldenrod: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SOLID&photoID=solid_003_avp.tif
Liatris: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LIATR
Little Bluestem grass: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=scsc_003_ahp.tif
Miscanthus: http://www.tredyffrin.org/images/general/Miscanthus.jpg
National Arboretum Fountain Grass: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=penni_001_avp.tif (planted to the side of the garden)
New England Asters: http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/pubs/asno_002_php.jpg
Prairie Dropseed: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=sphe_004_avp.jpg
Prairie Ironweed: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=vefa2_001_avd.tif Prickly Pear Cactus (on the berm): http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=ophu_009_avp.tif
Purple Cone Flowers: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=echin_001_ahp.tif
Redosier Dogwood: http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=cose16_005_ahp.tif
Salvia Verticillata: http://www.quansettnurseries.com/salvia%20purple%20rain.jpg
Surprise Lilies: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/flowers/lycoris/naked1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/flowers/lycoris/lycoris.htm&h=200&w=250&sz=51&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=3RA9Zu41vtyxnM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3DSurprise%2BLilies%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den
Wild Bergamot: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=MOFI&photoID=mofi_1v.jpg

More plants, such as Wild White Indigo (http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=bale2_002_avp.tif) and Butterfly Milkweed (http://plants.usda.gov/java/largeImage?imageID=astut_001_ahp.tif) may be planted in the spring.

We will use the seeds from this garden to help propagate plants around Long Lake Marsh next year.

What can you do in your yard?
It is hoped that this project will inspire you to think about how stormwater can be utilized in your yard.

Rain gardens should be at least 10’ from your downspout. The depth should be at least 4-8” deep and can be anywhere from 75-300 square feet in size.

Native plants are used primarily because they are very efficient at absorbing water and require no additional fertilizer or pesticides.
Rain gardens should never be placed near septic systems.

It may be tempting to place your garden in an area of your yard that already ponds. This is not beneficial because you want the water to infiltrate after four hours rather becoming stagnant.

Installation costs for rain gardens vary, depending on how much work you want to do yourself. Labor and maintenance, however, should be lower than lawn maintenance once the plants mature. The most cost effective way to utilize rainwater from your roof is to install rain barrels. Several Ogden Dunes residents have already installed rain barrels.

Please keep in mind that you need to check with the Town to determine if a permit is required for your project prior to construction. Town approval is especially important if your project will encroach on the Town easement, which is the case with this Rain Garden.

For more information on this project, please contact Susan MiHalo at spsmodin@verizon.net or the Environmental Advisory Board of Ogden Dunes.

The portion of the project on the Town Easement was funded by an Environmental Grant from the Indiana American Water Company.

Volunteers on the project included Susan MiHalo, Roger and Linda Bulla, Jim Petsas and Karl Krizmanic. The residential portion of the project was completed with the use of volunteer labor and donated materials.

The contractor for the garden, street area and retaining wall was Charlie Costanza.

Plants were purchased from JF New in Walkerton, IN or were obtained from the Bulla’s yard.

For more information on Rain Gardens, visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlScj9yN6Jw

http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/pdf/home.rgmanual.pdf