ca: san rafael: rain garden design and loop beautification

Dixie Elementary School “Rain Garden Design and Loop Beautification”

Dixie School DistrictDixie Home & School ClubDixie School Beautification CommitteeApril Philips Design Works

San Rafael, CANovember 9, 2007

Curb your Carbon NOT!

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Presentation Notes

What is wrong with this picture? Dixie just recently launched the curb your carbon program.

Bike, Walk, Run, Ride the Bus, Carpool,Move your body…

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Alternative modes of transportation

Play outside

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Presentation Notes

Playing outside more often is good for health and well being.

Recycle

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Recycling is something everyone can do at home, at school and everywhere!

Plant a Tree

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Planting one tree saves many lbs of carbon!

Grow a food garden

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By growing our own food and supporting local farmers markets we are conserving energy, providing for local natural resources.

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Conserving water is one of the most important things to do in the Bay Area.

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As we continue to develop new areas around our cities and communities we increase the amount of pressure placed on the adjacent natural systems. While pressure increases we are also decrease the size of these areas.

Pollution-

Yuck! Pollution-

Yuck!

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Presentation Notes

Rain gardens are one way to help clean up pollution.

Why are “Rain Gardens”

important?

A Rain Garden is good for the environment

What is a “Rain Garden”

and how does it work”

Storage and InfiltrationTypical Rain Garden

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Rain gardens are small man-made vegetated depressions that help to retain and slowly release stormwater flow. They decrease surface runoff and improve water quality by capturing sediment and treating other pollutants. The planting of appropriate species, such as iris, cardinal flower, and arrowhead, creates wildlife habitat and helps to make rain gardens one of the most attractive stormwater treatment options available. Rain gardens can vary from relatively dry depressions to structures that hold several inches of standing water for part of the year. They work by intercepting water and storing, infiltrating or evaporating water before it has an opportunity to enter the surrounding natural systems. In this way the water can be treated and/or cleaned before it carries containments downstream.

Project Goals

An outdoor class room

Provide habitat

Improve the beauty of the entry

Collect, clean and infiltrate rain water

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Although we’re only transforming a small piece of the schools overall landscape, we’re doing so in a highly viable location. Parents, associated family, friends and school children alike will come into contact with the rain garden on a daily basis. Currently a large portion of stormwater runoff from the school’s parking lot and buildings collects contaminants from the impervious surfaces and runs, untreated, into near by streams and storm sewers where it ultimately empties into larger bodies of water. The rain water garden give the school the opportunity to clean and infiltrate a portion of its stormwater runoff before it enter these sensitive natural systems. During both the wet and dry seasons the recommended plant palette will provide visual diversity and character not commonly found in the monoculture of grasses typically planted in low maintenance areas. Though often over looked insects, birds and other small animals depend on areas like the proposed rain garden for increased habitat diversity. These area provide food, shelter and water for species that are increasingly be pushed out of their native regions due to increased human development pressure.

The Dixie Rain Garden will be a place of beautyand a place to learn about nature !

Rain Garden Design –

a cloud’s eye view

Rain Garden Design –

a birds eye view

Mulch controls weeds and conserves water

Cutting the curb in certain areas helps rain water flow into rain garden so that we conserve water naturally and our rain garden will thrive

Soil includes organic nutrients and compost for healthy plants and addition of sand and gypsum to our clayey soils in Lucas Valley helps drainage

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Curb cuts – allows water from adjacent parking areas to flow into the rain garden for treatment and infiltration. Soil – Soil samples taken from the site indicated a clay based soil type. For the rain garden to function properly and for the plants to thrive a portion of the soil currently on site will need to be replaced with sand, gypsum and organic matter. This will create a planting matrix that allow for infiltration and absorption into the soil. Grading – A small depression will need to be created to hold and infiltrated the stormwater runoff before it enters the natural systems adjacent to the school’s property.

1.

Achillea

millefolium

–

Common Yarrow (native)2.

Eriogonum fasciculatum –

California buckwheat (native)3.

Muhlenbergia rigens

and M. capilaris

–

Purple Deer Grass (native)4.

Festuca

mairei

–

Atlas Fescue5.

Erigeron glaucus

–

Beach Aster (native)6.

Zauschneria

callifornica

latifolia

–

California Fuchsia (native)7.

Romneya

coulteri

–

Matilija

Poppy (native)8.

Salvia leucophylla

–

Purple Sedge (native)

2. 3. 4.

9.

Mimulus aurantiacus –

Sticky monkey flower (native)10.

Penstemon

heterophyllus

–

Beard Tongue (native)11.

Rudbeckia californica –

California coneflower (native) 12.

Vaccinium

ovatum –

Evergreen huckleberry (native)13.

Carex

barbarea

–

Santa Barbara Sedge (native)14.

Chondropetalum

tectorum

–

Small Cape Rush

9. 11. 12.

All plant selections for the “Transition Zone”

or upland areas are extremely drought tolerant and native to California’s Bay Area.

All plant selections for the “Rain Garden Zone”

or lowland areas are suited for both wet and dry periods. Certain plants in this category require slightly more water than others and will be placed at the lowest point in the garden.

5.1.

10. 13.

6. 7. 8.

14.

4.

Transition Zone (Upland)

Rain Garden Zone (Lowland)

How do we do it?

1.

Let’s begin (Identify project participants)

2.

Establish goals and objectives

3.

Gather information (Walk the site, collect online resources, etc.)

4.

Pick a location and establish an appropriate size

5.

Designing

6.

Plant selection

7.

Design review and obtaining permission.

8.

Preliminary plans for construction day

9.

Construction schedule

10.

Advertise (Spread the word, develop a website!)

11.

Develop Timeline (Arrange for material delivery, schedule volunteers)

12.

Construction Day (Time to build the rain garden)

13.

Maintenance (A routine schedule of care will ensure a healthy new environment)

14.

Write summary report (Write a final report for online publication or local newspapers)

The Steps:

Who? -

Dixie Community Volunteers!

Other Rain Gardens

Time to plant !

On Nov. 17, 2007 – the preliminary construction will be done

Tentative plant weekends will be in December 2007 and/or January 2008 to take advantage of the rainy season

ca: san rafael: rain garden design and loop beautification

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