Rain Garden Installation  

As part of our work to improve water quality and stabalize stream banks, Friends of the Winooski River plants rain gardens in strategic locations to capture storm water runoff. Rain gardens consist of a garden planted with water tolerant flowers and shrubs that help absorb excess rain water during high rain-fall events. 

To date we've constructed two rain gardens in the upper part of the Winooski Watershed. The first is located in Plainfield. It was planted in August 2009 to help prevent further erosion of a bank leading down to the Winooski river. Prior to the installation of the rain garden, water from a culvert had created a large gully down to the Winooski in Plainfield Village. The installed rain garden is designed to help slow the rapid flow of water down to the Winooski, but first trapping it in a small catchment basin where it overflows into the rain garden bed. Plants in the garden create a soil structure that allows the excess rain water to be absorbed instead of continuing further down the bank into the water. 

In August 2010 we added 20 additional plants to the rain garden to help improve the water filtration properties of the rain garden. Below are pictures of the rain garden being constructed in 2009. Pictures from summer 2010 before the addition of plants and pictures after the addition of plants in 2010. 

Plainfield Rain Garden Installation August 2009

Plainfield Rain Garden August 2010 before new plants

Plainfield Rain Garden after new plant additions.

In the spring of 2010 we also worked with students at Cabot School to install a rain garden outside one of their class room buildings. The building has a fairly steep roof and hill leading to the parking lot below the building. Students at Cabot School mapped out an ideal location for the garden at the building and calculated the necessary square footage to capture the run-off from the roof during a high rain-fall event. 

Next they broke ground in the designated area, removing a foot of top soil. They then mixed in compost and planted 25 water tolerant plants at the location. Below is a picture of the finished garden. 

Cabot School Rain Garden Installed May 2010

Volunteer Opportunities

We are always looking for volunteers to help maintain the rain gardens. You can either choose to focus on the rain garden in your community or join us for twice a year work days at various rain gardens to help pull weeds, add compost, new plants and wood chips. To get involved in our rain garden projects email info@winooskiriver.org.