WE DID IT! Yes that's right, we installed 70 residential rain gardens in the Whitely Neighborhood in Muncie in less than 6 weeks!

All this was possible because we were graced with the presence of an AmeriCorp NCCC team, Oak 4, from the Vinton, Iowa base.  They stayed in Muncie for 6 weeks and helped us to complete our residential rain garden goal of 70 plus rain gardens.  Oak 4 worked countless hours in the community providing over 2500 hours of community service in Muncie.  While they have returned to their base in Iowa and are planning for their 5th round project in Flint, Michigan, their work and good spirited enthusiasm will surely be missed.

Thank you to all sponsors and partners who truly made this project work, which include; The Roy C. Buley Center, Future Choices and Daily Apartments, Eco Rehab, Muncie Delaware Stormwater Management, the Muncie Sanitary District and the Whitely Community Council.  Special thanks to all the Whitely Residents who volunteered to put a rain garden in your yard.  We look forward to seeing the rain gardens mature and truly have an impact on managing and filtering stormwater run-off better in your community.

Stay tuned for pictures and updates to be posted on the website and be sure to join us on Facebook!

Or know someone who does?  We are taking applications for free residential rain gardens to any residents who lives within the Whitely Neighborhood Boundaries.

In 2008, Muncie Delaware Stormwater Management was awarded a grant from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that would focus on the standing water and flooding of the Whitely neighborhood and the health risks it poses. The grant was set up to establish residential "rain gardens" within the neighborhood that would help decrease the amount of standing water you see after snow melt or rain events.

A rain garden is a planted depression that is used to capture stormwater run-off from urban areas such as roofs, driveways, and sidewalks; rain gardens help absorb water into the ground better. Native plants are used because they absorb water well, and can survive in standing water as well as during times of little rain. They are also low-maintenance and do not need fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

We are looking for residents of Whitely who would like a rain garden installed on their property free of charge. This spring, between May and June, we will begin installing rain gardens throughout the neighborhood. If you sign up for this free program all you will be responsible for is the maintenance of the rain garden, which would consist of watering, weeding, and mulching every year.

If you would like a rain garden installed on your property, please contact us at 213-6468 or 747-2660, or email jdonati@co.delaware.in.us.

Rain Garden Application Forms need to be filled out and returned by April 5th, 2010. On that form is a place to choose which color of rain garden you would like. There is also an option for a partial shade rain garden if your desired area does not receive much sunlight.

There is also a space for you to describe where on your property you would like your rain garden. The average size of your rain garden will be 7 feet wide by 10 feet long. Remember also when choosing your site location that you want to pick an area in your yard that will capture the water before it gets to an area that usually floods. Suggested areas would be where your downspout is expanded and at least 10 feet away from your foundation. Rain gardens will grow best in a sunny area of your yard.

This spring will be the only time these rain gardens will be available to install, and they will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. So sign up now!

Make sure when considering where to install a rain garden that you try and build your rain garden at least 10 ft. from your house or structure to avoid potential water problems with the foundation.  You should be especially vigilant if you have a basement.  Do not put rain gardens over septic systems and check for utility lines before digging.  Avoid areas of signifigant tree roots as well.

You don't want to put a rain garden in an area that ponds and has poor infiltration, such as low spots in your yard.  If you do you will need to amend the soil with compost, sand and small gravel to encourage better infiltration.

Do a percolation test of your soil in the area you wish to install a rain garden.  Dig a six inch deep hole about the size of a coffee can or smaller and fill it with water.  Check on it and measure the water after about 4 hours and see if it has dropped at least one inch.  This should tell if the soil has good infiltration or not.  You preferably want the soil to drain all water within 24 hours.

You want to direct the downspouts of your house by using downspout extenders found at hardware stores or by digging a shallow swale guiding the water to the rain garden.  The size of your rain garden should depend on the amount of roof run-off you will be directing.

I found a lot of helpful information on "sizing your rain garden" located at http://www.raingardeninitiative.org/images/docs/RG_brochure.pdf

Has anybody been very sucessful with amending poor draining soils?  What type of soil ratio did you use?

A rain garden is simply an ordinary garden that's planted in a shallow depression and filled with native plants.

Rainwater from a downspout or driveway is directed to the garden. There, the water soaks into the earth, instead of running into the street and straight into the nearest lake or river.

A rain garden isn't a pond. The rain soaks into the ground, usually in a matter of hours. The garden is dry most of the time.

Digging one is easy. Best management practice manuals advise about special soils and perforated pipes. Professionals need to know that stuff for commercial gardens. But home gardens don't have to cope with such enormous volumes of water. Unless your lot is quite unusual, your rain garden won't need any engineering.

Choosing the Right Plants

It is best to use native, non-invasive species that are resistant to the stress from both brief periods of pooling as well as dry periods between rainfall events. A variety of plants with large root structures will make your rain garden more effective and less susceptible to disease. It is also better to use plants with a developed root structure instead of starting plants by seed. Seeds will have a hard time establishing in the conditions of a rain garden and will also leave the soil exposed and prone to erosion.

Rain Garden Maintenance

While the plants in your rain garden are young and becoming established they may require some supplemental water during dry periods, though this should only be the case for the first year. For more information on proper watering, view our Water Wisely factsheet. Some weeding may also be required the first year until the plants fill out and can out compete weeds.

Once the rain garden has become established maintenance is minimal and will generally only include periodic mulching, pruning and thinning, and plant replacement. Be sure to inspect your rain garden periodically during and/or immediately after rainfall events to be sure the rain garden is working as designed.

In addition to reducing and filtering stormwater runoff and increasing groundwater recharge, rain gardens provide many other benefits. They:

• Provide habitat for wildlife and, with the proper plants, increase the number and diversity of birds and butterflies for those who enjoy watching them
• Provide an attractive and creative alternative to traditional lawn landscapes.
• Require less maintenance than lawns because they do not need to be mowed, fertilized, or watered once established.
• Increase property values with creative landscaping designs.
• Reduce storm drain overload and flooding if adopted on a community or neighborhood scale.

A Rain Garden is a planted depression that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, and compacted lawn areas the opportunity to be absorbed. This reduces rain runoff by allowing stormwater to soak into the ground (as opposed to flowing into storm drains and surface waters which causes erosion, water pollution, flooding, and diminished groundwater).[1] Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.

Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they generally don't require fertilizer and are more tolerant of one's local climate, soil, and water conditions. The plants - a selection of wetland edge vegetation, such as wildflowers, sedges, rushes, ferns, shrubs and small trees - take up excess water flowing into the rain garden. Water filters through soil layers before entering the groundwater system. Root systems enhance infiltration, moisture redistribution, and diverse microbial populations involved in biofiltration.[2] Also, through the process of transpiration, rain garden plants return water vapor into the atmosphere. A more wide-ranging definition covers all the possible elements that can be used to capture, channel, divert, and make the most of the natural rain and snow that falls on a property. The whole garden can become a rain garden, and all of the individual elements that we deal with in detail are either components of it, or are small-scale rain gardens in themselves

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_garden