For more information on these raingardens follow the links below.

This photo was taken on August 5, 2005
(3 months after construction was started).

This is the raingarden on September 24, 2006
(1 year later).

Comprehensive Environmental Inc (CEI) provided funds for this Low Impact Design (LID) raingarden Project located in the Charles River watershed, in the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts. CEI's LID Committee personnel served as the technical consultants for this project to identify a location for the project, design the raingarden, as well as providing the labor for the actual construction.

The project location had to fit several criteria:

an area that could capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff discharging to nearby stormdrains and eventually to the Charles River watershed
an area that was visible to the public
an area that would provide an educational benefit

The area in front of the homeowners property was chosen to collect stormwater from the roof tops gutters. Information from the homeowner indicated that the roof top gutters provide a significant amount of runoff which have occasion to spill over a retaining wall, onto the driveway causing flooding in driveway. The homeowner also noted standing water in the garage.

By capturing and treating 1/4 of the roof top runoff (the estimated amount of water exiting from gutter providing stormwater to the raingarden), the rain garden is estimated to prevent 8,000 gallons of stormwater pollution from entering the storm drains and reaching the Charles River Watershed each year. For a comparison, the water usage for a typical household is approximately 63,000 gallons per year. If this homeowner were to install 8 raingardens, they would be putting back the equivalent of the water their family uses into the ground.

An educational signwas installed in the rain garden on June 12, 2005. The project received notable publications in local newspapers

Construction of Rain Garden

On May 6, 2005 the garden area (10'x22') was excavated, and on May 8th the garden was landscaped. Because of multiple storms the plantings were not placed until May 22. The garden was completed on May 28th. A summary of rainfall collections can be found on the Rainfall Spreadsheet

A 4.5 foot hole was excavated in the center of the garden and a perforated pvc pipe placed vertically into the hole. A 3 foot perforated pipe was also connected horizontally to this pipe to direct stormwater from the gutter towards the center of the garden. The raingardens are dug so that they are tied into soils that lie below the normal frostline. Stone or slotted PVC tubing is then used to promote drainage in the bottom of the raingarden. This keeps the drainage working during winter months, preventing total freezing. The holed areas were then covered with filter fabric and filled with rocks provided from the excavated area. The vertical pipe will also allow for measurement of depth of water collected during flooding rains.

The rock area was covered with the filter fabric and a 4" mixture of 50% native soil and 50% compost was spread over the garden area landscaped so that a depressed area was formed.

The compost-amended soil has many potential benefits when instituted with establishment of turf and landscaping, including:

increased water conservation,
increased nutrient retention,
better turf aesthetics,
reduced need for chemical use,
improved stormwater retention, and
cost-savings to the private landowner.

The area was planted with live plants on May 28, 2005 and a two inch Hemlock mulch covering, was placed to prevent erosion from the exposed soils and to protect the plants.

Native plants were selected for their ability to grow in various depths of water and soil moisture conditions and a rainfall chart is being collected for further analysis.

The delay in planting was caused by multiple storms. This unexpected delay allowed for viewing of functionality of constructed garden and presented minor problems. The berm area was eroded from a leaky gutter subsequently the swale area, which had not yet been constructed with rocks had filled with stormwater sediment. The gutter has since been repaired and the rock swale was constructed.

The homeowner also added raingardens to the left front and right rear of their home to allow more stormwater from the gutters to infiltrate into the gardens. This garden was easily constructed by adding a connector to the already existing down pipe and deflecting that water flow through a vertical pvc pipe buried in the garden. This allowed stormwater from the roof to flow evenly throughout all gardens. This homeowner has approximately 90 percent of roof runoff infiltrating to raingardens around the property.

Pre Construction Photos

Pre-construction	Desired locations	Marking area

During-construction Photos (05-05-05)

Digging	Placing PVC pipe	Fill hole with rock

During-construction landscaping Photos (05-05-05 thru 05-06-05)

constructed garden	constructed swale	landscape area

Issues Photos (from plugged gutter) Before the garden had been completed the homeowner discovered that the gutters were blocked with leaves causing the stormwater to flow over the top of the gutters rather than down the spout. The pictures below show the results of these problems. The problem has since been fixed and the swale is working properly today.

berm erosion	sediment on roadway	sediment at vertical pipe

Planting Photos May 28, 2005

plantings near swale	plantings in garden	completed garden May 28, 2005

Summer 2005 Photos

May 28, 2005	June 12, 2005	July 8, 2005

August, 2005	September 2005	December 2005

2006 Photos

April 16, 2005	May 8, 2006	June 17, 2006

July 28, 2006	September 24, 2006	September 24, 2006

2007 Photos

	May 4, 2007

Click any thumbnail for a larger view. Photos above taken by CEI LID Committee members.