Rain Garden Unique Features

The rain garden was designed and installed to demonstrate a simple and effective solution to stormwater mitigation and water conservation. Roof water from Town Hall discharges directly into Fairfax Creek and this rain garden will act as a buffer for a portion of the building's roof area. There is enough capacity to handle the smaller, more frequent storm events of up to one inch of rainfall. With a chance to slow down and soak into the ground, this stormwater is turned into a resource to support appropriate plantings. A mulch-filled basin acts as a sponge to hold moisture longer into the dry season, and feeds healthy living soil. The combination of mulch, healthy soil, and plants helps biologically filter the water while also decreasing the demand for irrigation and improving plant health.

Rain events that exceed the capacity of this rain garden overflow via a pipe back to the original drain. 

The downspout was disconnected from the existing drainpipe and adapted to a pipe that conveys the water 10 feet away from the building's foundation to the rain garden. Due to the constraints of this particular site, a second pipe was installed as an overflow back to the existing drainpipe to provide a safe place for water to go in the event of a storm that exceeds the rain garden's capacity to hold, infiltrate, and evapotranspire. 

The size of the rain garden was constrained by an underground utility line, and the adjacent creek and public pathway. To identify the location of all underground utility lines, USA Dig (www.usanorth.org) came out to the site. This project was implemented by sixteen participants during a hands-on workshop offered by 10,000 Rain Gardens Project staff.

The area of the rain garden was laid out and the existing mulch was pulled to the side for later use. The basin was dug  to a maximum depth of 18 inches and the excavated soil was used to create a berm.

A load of wood chips was provided free by the Town. The basin was filled with wood chips to increase water retention and promote soil building. 
Low water-use native and Mediterranean adapted plants, including Yarrow, Sage, Coffeeberry, California Buckwheat and Red Fescue were planted on the berm, and rushes were planted in the basin. All the new plants, as well as surrounding established vegetation will benefit from the increased available water in the soil and provide aesthetic interest and wildlife habitat. Organic compost was spread around the new plants and a thick layer of wood chips was applied as mulch. These plants will establish quickly and need only occasional hand watering during the first one to three years of establishment. No irrigation system was installed on this project.

         Approximate total costs:        $340.00