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Mark R. Shenkman Training Facility & Burton Family Football Complex Hilltop Rain Gardens Biodiesel Laboratory Co-Generation Power Plant Slippery Elm Wilbur Cross HEEP Landfill Remediation Project Towers Rain Garden Poultry Barn Water Conservation Whitney Sustainable Dining Student EcoGarden EcoHusky Main Page
Rain Gardens

Rain gardens naturally treat and improve water quality before it can pollute other water sources by collecting the runoff from hard surfaces and allowing pollutants to be filtered and absorbed by soil and plants.

Another benefit from rain gardens is to maintain local hydrology by replenishing the groundwater that is lost from hard surface runoff to storm drains.

 Before... ** ...After **
Sunny Hilltop   Sunny Hilltop

Polluted runoff is a problem in urban areas where much of the ground is covered with hard surfaces such as roofs, streets, parking lots and sidewalks.

Water flows quickly across hard surfaces, picking up pollutants --organic particles, pesticides, fertilizers, gas, oil and other types of residue-- before emptying into storm drains. Once in the storm sewer system, the water flows into local lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Water pollution control facilities can be overloaded during periods of heavy rain due to the large amount of impermeable hard surface.  This can result in downstream sedimentation, erosion, and flooding.

Hilltop Rain Gardens in ACTION!
Hilltop Rain Garden (With Benches!) Hilltop Rain Gardens in ACTION!
Hilltop Rain Gardens in ACTION!
Meghan Ruta & Rich Miller hard at work Mike Kyc moving mulch ** The Towers Rain Garden educational sign **

Rain Gardens are located next to the Babbidge Library, outside the Towers dining hall, at the Burton-Shenkman training facility, and scattered around Hilltop apartments.

Plants that can be found in rain gardens include the River Birch (Betula nigra), Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), American Elderberry (Sambucus nigra spp. canadensis), Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum), and New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae).
A typical rain garden design
Mike D. planting Towers rain garden Mike working on the walkway ** Jennifer Sayers and Stephanie Marks constructing the walkway ** The Beginning