“Soaking It In” Project
The Olentangy River receives high volumes of stormwater at high velocity due to the impervious surfaces, such as parking lots and roofs that do not allow the water to soak into the ground. In addition to the “too much too fast” problem, the water entering the Olentangy River is polluted after travelling over roads and parking lots picking up whatever is in its the path. The lack of infiltration or ability to soak in the ground also causes streets to flood, basement backups and excessive erosion of streamside property.
The solution is to restore the infiltration and the storage capacity with “green infrastructure”. Green infrastructure are structures such as rain gardens, infiltration trenches and rain tanks that allow rain water to soak into the ground, evaporate back into the atmosphere and/or remain stored to be reused later. FLOW created the “Soaking It In” program to engage the local public and city officials concerning the solution to the interrelated problems of a sediment laden Olentangy River, flooded streets, sewer backups and the loss of streamside property.
The Columbus Mennonite Church (CMC) agreed to participate in the program to address sump pump issues and to demonstrate environmental stewardship. After receiving funding from Honda of America Foundation, FLOW and Urban Wild worked with CMC members to create a comprehensive rainwater management solution. With the help of volunteers, a rain garden, an infiltration trench and a rain tank were installed in the fall 2010.
Combined these different structures will harvest or infiltrate approximately100,000 gallons of rain water per year from the 6800 square feet of the church roof. By keeping the water on site, the Olentangy River will not receive as much sediment and other pollutants. The rain garden and other structures are helping to restore the storage capacity that has been lost as a result of tributaries being culverted and wetlands filled along the Olentangy River. We hope that this demonstration project will encourage local officials and the general public to consider installing green infrastructure in public spaces and backyards.
The “Soaking It In” program has been a success in large part because different partnering entities came together to make it work. Columbus Mennonite Church members Al Bauman, Phil Hart, Marlene Suter and Ruth Massey helped plan the project and provided logistical help that enabled the project to run smoothly. Amy Dutt, owner of Urban Wild, planned and coordinated the green infrastructure site design and implementation, as well as donated some of her time to see this project to completion. Other businesses who helped FLOW with discounted services were the Rain Brothers and Scioto Gardens. Volunteers from the local community helped by planting the rain garden and installing the infiltration trench. Ellie Nowels from Centipede Graphics created a beautiful sign that captures the entire project. Of course, this project would not have been possible without funding from the Honda America Foundation. In 2011, FLOW looks forward to completing the project by installing one or two more rain gardens.
Rain Garden Project Updates
Visit the rain garden project photo gallery or read the project report from FLOW Board Member Joe Tribble
Thanks to a $10,000 grant sponsored by MillerCoors and RiverNetwork, FLOW is constructing a demonstration rain garden and water catchment at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Clintonville. This installation is step one in FLOW’s goal of 10 similar projects at local schools, churches, small businesses and other institutions by 2012.
Rain gardens are specially designed and planted gardens which collect rainwater and allow it to percolate slowly into the soil, reducing storm water run-off and preventing pesticides, petroleum products and other pollutants from being swept into our streams. Rain gardens also keep storm water from overloading the local sewer system.
FLOW volunteers worked with the members of the Unitarian Universalist Church to create design for the rain garden on the church’s property at 93 W. Weisheimer Road. Construction and planting were completed in early November.
New MONITOR Program
FLOW seeks volunteers for our new MONITOR program in 2009. MONITOR stands for Monitoring, Observing, and Naming Impacted Tributaries of the Olentangy River. The program will focus on unnamed, unstudied streams in southern Delaware County, an area that is under pressure for land development. This program is an opportunity for you to learn more about our watershed and then give something back. The program was recently discussed in an article in the Columbus Dispatch.
Watershed 101 Class and Habitat Training: Watershed 101 is a chance to get to know the Olentangy Watershed like never before. On Saturdays in late April and May 2009, we will provide a total of 40 hours of hands-on training on topics including watershed history, geology, native plants and wildlife, wetlands, stormwater, wastewater and drinking water treatment. The training will include slide shows, hand-outs, field trips, tours, and other activities. Participants will also receive training in either EPA Level II Headwater Habitat Evaluation Index or Level II Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index.
The course is free and open to the public, and it is designed to be accessible to all knowledge levels—from beginner to more advanced. The material is well suited for college students seeking to gain additional experience. Teens are also invited to participate, with a parent or other adult.
In exchange for receiving the Watershed 101 class, each participant is requested to volunteer an equivalent number of hours in the summer and fall to either the stream monitoring or stream naming programs.
Stream Monitoring: Using the skills learned in the Watershed 101 habitat training, volunteers will assess the health of streams in southern Delaware County. These streams are previously unstudied, and the data collected will help us advocate for stream protection and restoration.
Stream Naming: Through our stream naming program, volunteers will literally put unnamed streams on the map. Based on historical records and community input, the volunteers will submit petitions to the US Geological Survey to officially name the streams and include them on future maps, which will aid our protection efforts.
If you have questions about this program or wish to register, please contact info@olentangywatershed.org or call 614-267-3386.
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund.
Rush Run Riparian
Restoration Project
Rush Run is a 1.5
mile long tributary of the Olentangy which drains approximately 2
square miles in Franklin County. Its natural flow has been
channelized, and the streamside vegetation has been altered.
Invasive plants such as honeysuckle and garlic mustard have
crowded out native wildflowers along the stream banks in the
residential areas, and turf grasses dominates the industrial
areas. The water quality is listed as fair to poor.
In 2006 the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded FLOW a grant to restore a
section of the streamside along Rush Run. FLOW selected a 408 foot
section in Park Blvd. Park, in Worthington because it was heavily
overgrown with invasive honeysuckle and because it was located on park
land where it could attract public interest and participation.
In its natural
state, the streamside vegetation of Rush Run would consist of a balance
of trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers. This vegetation would
provide erosion control, shade, and a variety of habitats for wildlife.
However, the Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera mackii)
dominates the banks of Rush Run. Very few native wildflowers and shrubs
can survive the crowding and shading. Introduced to the Midwest from
Asia in the 1800’s as a garden ornamental, Amur honeysuckle has escaped
cultivation. It spreads easily by seed, is fast growing, and is very
adaptable. The Ohio
Department of Natural Resources has more information on
invasive bush honeysuckle.
In the spring of
2007, FLOW and the Worthington Department of Parks and Recreation began
to restore native vegetation. Volunteers contributed over 450 hours to
clear the banks of honeysuckle and plant 94 native trees and shrubs, 50
ferns and over 900 perennial wildflower plugs. Volunteers also planted
a seed mix of native floodplain species and watered and mulched the
area throughout the dry summer. FLOW has compiled a list of plants used in this
restoration and a gallery of
photos showing the work accomplished.
Volunteers
monitored water quality before and
after the restoration, and FLOW will be continue to monitor
Rush Run at Park Blvd. Park in the future.
An educational
sign was placed on site in November 2007 describing the work
accomplished at Park Blvd. Park. FLOW will participate in the upkeep of
this section of Rush Run in the future. Watch for future workdays at
Park Blvd. Park in the FLOW Calendar
of Events.
An educational sheet for class
or scout visits to Park Blvd. Park is available, as well as information
on what you can do to improve
streamside corridors in your neighborhood.
This project was
funded by a generous grant from the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation.
FLOW would like to
thank the following organizations and individuals for their
participation in making this project successful.
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