What water watch does
Construction will begin soon on the new rain garden! Now that you know all about the garden and what it is for, who is involved, and how can you become a part of it? The Rain Garden is being built by a coalition between the Urban East Coast Institute and Monmouth University’s Water Watch. Professor Tiedemann of the Institute is the person who has been monumentally involved in bringing the rain garden on campus. He also has his own set of interns that are working on the logistical aspect of the garden, including the plants to be used and the planning of construction. The other half of this team is Water Watch, headed by Katie Feeney. Katie is the leader of the group, and is also responsible for working with both the Institute and the club. Water Watch’s end of the project is to reach out to local communities and inform them about the project, as well as building the project. We get politicians involved in our projects, and inform them of the water issue. We also contact local newspapers and other universities to educate the communities about what we are doing, and how they can do the same thing to help the environment. Another project we do is cleaning up local waterways and beach areas to stop beach closings and heal our water systems; another part of this is stream monitoring, in which we monitor the health of different waterways. Media is another major topic. We involve local newspapers and other media networks to come and cover our cleanups or to be aware of what is happening. Water Watch is also responsible for building the garden, which is set to begin construction soon! Interested? Water Watch meets every Wednesday at 2:30 in 202A on the second floor of the Student Center. We are always looking for volunteers, and we are always willing to accept new members!
Just what is a rain garden?
Welcome to Monmouth Univerity's first rain garden blog!So... just what is a rain garden? Monmouth University is leading the way to better water quality in New Jersey. This is being accomplished through Water Watch, a group associated with the Urban Coast Institute, by building a demonstrative rain garden right here on campus. In order to keep you updated on this incredible garden, a blog will be posted each week that will follow up on the newest information on the garden. Now, you have heard the term ‘Rain Garden’ all over the place, but what does it really mean? And how is it supposed to help the environment? Simply stated, it is a garden that is slightly deeper than normal. This is so that runoff from rain and other local water systems can filter into the garden and the water can be purified naturally through the soil. A rain garden is also designed to control storm water, not only to prevent flooding but to also prevent an overabundance of sediments and pollutants from reaching the waterways that eventually lead to the ocean. Stopping the spread of toxins and other pollutants in urban runoff helps to enhance the quality of the water we drink and reduces the need for intense purification systems. Not only does the garden help the environment, but it also helps to bond the community together over a common interest. The garden usually contains a variety of plants that are both decorative and functional. Sculpture and modern art can add to the garden as well. Each rain garden is unique and can help the environment while being attractive to each community. So, why build a rain garden? Here are the top ten reasons to put one in your community. 10. Less flooding and – storm water control means less puddles and who does not want to have less of those?9. Inexpensive – only about $3 to $4 dollars on residential lots. Getting the plants donated and having volunteers reduces the cost even more. 8. Landscaping – a great way to improve the atmosphere of the community7. Education project – Tours and teachers can help to educate kids about their local water quality. 6. Raise awareness of environmental issues/water quality issues5. Varies in size – so it can improve water quality in small backyards to entire parks. 4. Fun activity - a good place to take local school kids to directly learn about the environment, as well as being a pleasant place to visit. 3. Improve the water that ends up in the ocean, streams and eventually our own drinking water.2. Recreate/Heal Ecosystems. – By purifying the water quality, the pollutants will help the organisms in the water to repopulate, and therefore the animals that feed on them will repopulate as well. 1. Help save the environment!
From the Soil up
All this talk of rain gardens sounds great, but how do we pull together such a concept? Rain gardens do not just pop out of the ground. Building this project requires a lot of planning from several groups of people. The Urban East Institute kicked the whole idea off. A part of the Institute is Professor John Tiedemann, who was instrumental in the project. His interns have been working on the details of the project. They worked out the logistics of the garden, as well as deciding where the garden will be placed. In addition, the Institute got the flowers donated to us from various sources, and they sorted out where to place the plants based on each plants’ growth factors. Such planning amounts to a large amount of time. Planning for the garden started back in January, and has been building up since. The Institute has created a plan and time frame that is as flexible as it is strong. We have been able to follow the pan effectively as to be on time with everything, but should a problem arise then the plan allows for extra time. This type of planning is useful in a project that can speed up or slow down at anytime. So where does Water Watch come in? We are involved in getting the news out to the community, getting people involved, offering tours, and actually building the garden itself. We have been working together to get the news out to local newspapers, including Atlanticville, to have them publish articles about the garden for the surrounding towns to read. Also, we have gone to various schools and set up programs to educate students about the poor water quality in our state. We also are preparing to offer tours to our own and surrounding neighborhoods to show people how easy it is to help the environment. The biggest anticipation, however, is waiting until we can actually build the garden. We will most likely build it within the next two weeks. We are currently working with facilities management to ensure that the garden does not violate any state laws and can be built safely and properly. This is important, because the state may limit where the garden should be built. Also, there could be sewer or electric lines that are near your digging site and hitting them while digging could endanger not only our safety but they safety of others. Planning is the most important part of this project, and creating a strong and flexible plan has allowed us to be prepared to build at just the right time.
Ideally....
Now that you know where the garden goes, what happens when we actually build it? Construction is the most important part of this process, but starting without any idea of the end result is not a good idea. Last week, we visited the rain garden in Freehold, New Jersey. The garden consisted of some native plants and other decorative items, and was in the shape of a lima bean. Since it had just been built, the garden was not specifically in bloom, and was mostly dirt. It did, however, contain puddles from the previous day’s rain, and we could see the puddles going draining as into the soil. Building the garden can be tricky, but with plenty of planning it is possible. First, is important that know that where you are digging is not near any major utility lines, so it is important to call your local utility company before digging. Also, it is important to know that the soil into which you dig is able to absorb water. To do so, a small hole, about six inches deep, should be dug into the soil. Then water should be placed into the hole. If the water drains within a few hours, the soil is ready; if not, the problem must be identified or a new spot should be chosen. When construction actually begins, one thing is crucial- volunteers. Without volunteers, the garden is simply an unexplored idea that cannot be put into practice. Each volunteer can be provided the equipment they need, and can be actively involved in the garden building process. During construction, precautions should be taken to reduce the amount of soil loss. This can include fences and other materials. When building, it is important to be precise about all of your measurements. Make sure each calculation is revised and checked before digging. This is because one small miscalculation can ruin the entire garden. While building, it is also important to not disturb too much of the land around the garden; although the garden is intended to help the environment, destroying the area around it can reverse the effects. Another thing that should be taken into consideration is the type of plants and soil used in your garden. Each plant may require a different amount of water and sunlight in order to properly grow, and these needs should be reflected in your garden. After construction, place down about 2-3 inches of mulch. This will allow for conservation of water for the plants, as well as preventing frost from hurting the plants in winter. Obviously, this is what is supposed to happen... but who knows when we actually start building? Come check out the next blog, and see if everything works out greatl... I mean, what could go wrong?
Oh the plants you will see
Native plants are the most common types of plants used in a Rain Garden. This is because the plants are already situated to the types of conditions that the rain garden is in. Using plants that are not from the area involves special care of the plant and placing the rain garden in a place that may not be of use to the environment because of the needs of the one plant. Also, the one plant may out compete the other plants for resources, destroying the garden. In choosing plants, it is necessary to know how big your plants will get, as well as how far apart they should be spaced. Having a plant too tall or too close can take away resources from other plants, and those plants end up dying. Also, it is important to know when they bloom and how many of those plants you want. Having too many of one plant may offset the balance of the rain garden, and knowing when they bloom allows for you to plan how you want your garden to look at all times during the year. In our rain garden we are using 14 native plants. These include, Inkberry Holly, Winterberry Holly, Northern Bayberry, Red Chokeberry, Sweet Pepper Bush, Royal Fern, Marsh Marigold, Common Meadow Violet, Turtlehead, Cardinal flower, Blue flag iris, Swamp Rose Mallow, New York aster, and Seaside goldenrod. Each plant blooms between spring and fall, except the inkberry holly, winterberry holly, and northern bayberry. This is because they are evergreen or semi-evergreen. Evergreen means that they are in bloom all year round, so they make great winter plants. The other plants are good from warmer weather to make the garden beautiful when most people are outside. Our gardens’ flowers also have a variety of bright colors that make it appealing to look at. The garden will be approximately 21’ wide, and 95’ long. Through the middle of the garden will be a 4’ wide pathway that runs through the entire garden. This allows for people to walk right through the middle of the garden and fully enjoy the garden. We will also offer tours to the community in order to show them how to set up the garden and build one of their own.
Location, Location, Location
Where does the Rain Garden go? So now you that you know what a rain garden is, where does it go? Planning where your garden goes is one of the most important steps in this process; the garden cannot go just anywhere. One of the most important things to remember in deciding a location is to remember the function of the garden. The garden is meant to purify rain water runoff, and to drain water from areas with a lot of water. Thus, a good place to put a rain garden is a place where there is a lot of rain water runoff, possibly with a large amount of puddles and water in one area. Usually, a rain garden is placed at the bottom of a sloped area, because when it rains the water will make its way down the slope, and collect at the bottom. This leads to standing water and puddles, which can attract mosquitoes and cause other problems. By placing a rain garden at the bottom of the slope, then water that would have collected is now being filtered through the soil, which helps to take out the pollutants from the water and filter it back into larger bodies of water. Places to avoid would be around areas of heavy foot traffic and near areas of heavy development, such as too close to houses. This is because the amount of activity near these areas causes the soil to be deeply compacted, causing water flow to be difficult. Also, it is not entirely beneficial to place a garden in an area with little water flow, such as in the middle of a flat field. The lack of water flow means that there is very little for the rain garden to purify, and flooding can still occur in other areas. In the past week, we observed where the rain garden will be placed on campus. About a minute walk from Pollack, right by the Athletic building, the garden will be placed between the two telephone poles closest to the theatre. This a perfect place to put the garden because the parking lot itself is a hall, forming a deep slope. This is a great place to put a rain garden because the collected water at the bottom of the hill is collecting in large puddles, causing problems for the parking lot. Also, all the sediment and debris from the parking lot is being carried to the bottom of the hill, leaving to build up over time. By putting a rain garden there, all the sediment from the lot will be filtered through the soil, and the amount of collected rain water will reduced significantly. In finding a place to put a rain garden, it is crucial to remember that the garden should go in place with a lot of sediment and rain water buildup.
