The finished rain garden in Andover Township that Pequannock Township Engineer Joe Golden, along with a number of citizens and volunteers, constructed.Seen here is the Andover garden when it was still a work in progress. Golden is attempting to bring rain gardens to Pequannock as a way of conserving water and making a dent in local flooding issues.
That small change not only makes the basin more aesthetically pleasing, but also better at sopping up runoff before it washes away soil and carries pollutants into the water system.
Although these "rain gardens" are still a relatively new concept in the stormwater management field, they've gained traction with Pequannock Township Engineer Joe Golden, who recently completed an application for a $2,000 grant from Rutgers University's "Sustainable Jersey" program in order to fund a local course on the practice.
His plan, he said in a Thursday afternoon phone conversation, is to use the money to hold the class, and then have those that attend construct a demo rain garden somewhere on public property so other residents can see firsthand how they work.
Golden is already certified by the university as a rain garden specialist and trainer, and has built several of his own, including one at an Andover Township school that helped that town win a NJ Governor's Award for stormwater management in 2010.
He's hoping to do something similar in Pequannock, which, what with its sandy, permeable soil and perennial flooding issues, is the ideal spot for both public and private plots.
"Rain gardens typically get about 30 percent more [water] infiltration than a lawn does," he said. "If every lawn had a rain garden, we'd have 30 percent less water [running off]… and if every property in the area installed one, we would actually maybe make a dent in the flooding."
Even if it never helped the flooding, however, the small parcels — Golden's own at his Sussex County home measures about 20-by-8 feet — are excellent for water conservation, and the combination of grass, plants, and mulch at the edge of a parking lot or gutter downspout helps "eat away the bad stuff" that might otherwise drain into local rivers.
"You put it on the end of a driveway, and it takes out the oil," he said. "It cleans the water before it gets into the ground... it's been very successful in some other communities."
Plus, he said, they are "very attractive," and can entice hummingbirds, monarch butterflies, and other bits of nature into the area.
The course would most likely be free, he said, and the town's garden, wherever it may be, could be labeled with signs and become a sort of ecosystem exhibit as well. He's hoping to find out whether Pequannock secured the grant sometime in September, and the work could be done in the spring.
He meets with the town Green Team on Monday night to discuss the plans further.
Meanwhile, the Township Council voiced support for the plan when its members heard about it at their Aug. 13 meeting, with Councilwoman Cathy Winterfield saying the concept is "pretty exciting" and Mayor Rich Phelan noting that it "sounds cool."
Councilman Jay Vanderhoff, who has an extensive background in the landscaping field, said he heard that a number of town Green Teams and environmental clubs are getting behind the idea and doing it in their own municipalities.
"It's a good project," he said.
Golden urged any residents interested in possibly taking part in a class on rain gardens to contact him at the township's engineering office at 973-835-5700.
Email:janoski@northjersey.com
http://www.northjersey.com/news/221119081_Pequannock_looks_to_promote_increased_use_of_rain_gardens.html?page=all
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