Schools make good locations for rain gardens, due to large impervious surfaces such as parking lots, roofs, paved play areas, and walkways. They also have long swales across turf--ideal places for native plants or rain gardens.
Below I've listed some schools with ideal locations for rain gardens. Most photos are from about 2012, so some of these locations may now be different.
Midvale Elementary School
This location is at the SE corner of the school property, where the teacher's parking lot opens onto Caromar Dr. There is ample space for a very large rain garden fed by runoff from the large adjacent parking lot. Gentle slopes would feed water directly into the garden. The location is occupied by turf, with no competing uses.
Phil Gabler has looked at the location and agrees it's good for a rain garden. He said the City could construct the basin and haul away the earth--but it's important that the school or MMSD initiate the project.
When I contacted teachers, they did not want to make it a school project (with planting and other activities by students), because, with Caromar Drive close by, they felt it wasn't safe.
Photos below show the location from different angles.
Looking from Caromar NNE into the parking area. Potential garden location is on the left.
Looking south from the entrance to the parking area. Caromar Dr. is on the left.
Looking W into the parking area.
Looking E toward Caromar Dr. The garden location is just right of center in the rear. The garden would receive runoff from this entire parking area.
Stephens Elementary School
Stephens is located on a hillside, and runoff from most areas feeds toward a large parking area, and then through a grove of trees to Cable Ave. Around 2012, runoff from a large storm eroded the bare ground under the trees and dumped a lot of sediment onto Cable Ave. So this school with slopes really needs control of stormwater. There used to be a small rain garden between the parking lot and the grove, but it has since been destroyed.
About 4 years ago, teachers at Stephens asked me to help them with a rain garden, but I wasn't able to then. Phil Gaebler has seen this location at the bottom the parking lot and agrees it's a good spot.
Because most of the runoff from school grounds empties via the parking area, it would be smart to have some gardens upstream to capture runoff before it even gets to the parking area.
Former rain garden, which no longer exists, at the lower edge of the parking area.
Another view of the former rain garden, with grove of pines in the rear. Note how water pools here. Cable Ave. is just visible, upper left.
A swale along the N side of Stephens School, where runoff begins. Another good spot for a rain garden.
This walkway leading to the school might be another place for a rain garden to prevent runoff pooling in winter.
Looking downhill towards the old rain garden location. The swale could be a garden location to capture some of the runoff.
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