St. Andrew’s United Methodist Day School Rain Garden
Parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed contain a high percentage of impervious cover – paved or other hard surfaces such as roofs and roadways that prevent rain water from being absorbed into the ground. Instead, water runs along these surfaces, collecting trash and substances such as motor oil, lawn fertilizers, and pesticides. This polluted stormwater flows into streams and rivers, where it threatens aquatic ecosystems and public health.
Effective stormwater management, on the other hand, creates safe paths for polluted runoff to be captured and filtered through the ground before it reaches waterways. This helps keep the environment clean and our communities healthy!
Project Location: Edgewater, MD
Problem: The school playground at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church and Day School flooded every time it rained, making the site inaccessible to school children. Further, runoff flowed to nearby Gingerville Creek, delivering pollutants and debris.
Solution: To alleviate these issues, St. Andrew’s installed a rain garden adjacent to the playground, and re-routed roof downspouts to a rock-lined swale flowing into the rain garden. In addition to keeping the playground flood free, the rain garden serves as an outdoor classroom for students to learn about native plants, the water cycle, and stormwater management.
Scale: 5,000 square feet
Funding sources: MD Department of Natural Resources’ Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund
Partners: MD Department of Natural Resources; St. Andrews United Methodist Day School; Severn Grove Ecological Design LLC
