powerpoint for WRM class

1. Carrie Lacks and Emily Schmitt Creating APU’s First Rain Garden

2. Build a rain garden on the Alaska Pacific University Campus in order to reduce runoff to the Anchorage watersheds (specifically Chester Creek). Hopefully the weather will permit us to build it by the end of the semester or May block. The funding will come from the Municipality of Anchorage Rain Gardens program, the sustainability committee’s budget, and the ASAPU. The MOA will provide up to 50% of the cost of the rain garden in order for it to be maintained for the next 2 years. Our Proposal

3. What is a rain garden? A rain garden is a depression in the landscape designed to catch and filter the water that runs off your roof, driveway, walkway, compacted lawn areas and other impervious surfaces. Rain gardens act as buffers by filtering stormwater runoff and improving water quality before it reaches storm drains that eventually flow into streams, rivers, and lakes. Rain gardens do not have to be expensive. We will be using APU student volunteers as our construction team, eliminating a major cost. The main expense will be purchasing the native plants for the area and the extra soil and gravel.

4. Reduce stream flooding and storm drain overflow events Reduce pollution sedimentation in our waterways Provide habitat for wildlife Recharge groundwater, rain gardens allow water to filter into the ground rather than running along the surface Increase property value and curb side appeal Easy yard maintenance, hardy native plants and perennials return each year, out-compete weeds, and once established require little to no watering Improve neighborhoods, work together with your neighbors, cut down on flooding, increase vegetation Decrease municipal costs to maintain the storm drain system. Less sediment in the storm drains means less time and resources spend maintaining and cleaning it out. Benefits of a rain garden! http://anchorageraingardens.com/aboutRG.html#benefits

5. anchorageraingardens.com Stellar Secondary School Residential Rain Garden Residential Rain Garden Rain Garden in the Winter

6. APU is located in the Chester Creek Watershed. What about APU?

7. Our rain garden will be located in the back yard of L4 house on the row here at APU. Google Maps! Ben’s and Matt’s House Atwood

8. Pictures of the house

9. Pictures of the house

10. Pictures of the house

11. POND the Runoff: They are built up on the edges with a berm so that a large amount of runoff can pool on the surface. DRAINAGE: With a layer of gravel at the bottom of the garden they are very well drained and can filter the water back into the ground rapidly during and after a rain event. FILTER: By allowing water to collect, pond, evaporate and filter through native plants, soil, sand and gravel into the ground- runoff is cleaned, transformed and minimized. DOWNSPOUT DISCONNECTION- Downspouts connected to your driveway or walkways contribute to stormwater flows into the street drainage, which eventually flow into local streams or lakes during heavy storms. Disconnecting your downspout by directing water flows into your yard or your rain garden can reduce the amount of water and pollutants entering our local streams and lakes. Defining our terms…

12. Municipality of Anchorage Watershed Management Services Rain Garden Services Kari! Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Agriculture Plant Materials Center NPEDES MS4 permit 2010- http://www.muni.org/Departments/project_management/Documents/NPDESPermit2010.pdf The Low Impact Development Center Agencies involved…

13. Implementation process… The week of March 1st, we plan on finalizing our supply list and budgeting, as well as continue research on size and other specifications The week of March 15th, we hope to have a basic design for the garden, and research the effectiveness of the garden. The week of March 22nd, we hope to hold a tool training for students’ safety, and prep the area for constructing the garden Hopefully, by March 29th, the snow will be melted and we will be able to begin construction by getting supplies and marking out the boundaries, and organizing the tools and necessary equipment, and completing construction. If not possible, then we will complete this as soon as the weather allows. We would like it done by the end of the semester, if not, them at least by the end of May Block. The first two weeks after construction, we will monitor the garden, and be sure it gets watered and taken care ofThen, the week of April 19th, we can do a follow up, and work on writing our papers over the next week and prepare our presentation. If necessary, we are still able to change things around, so this is just a tentative schedule that we will adjust as needed based on weather, supplies and budgeting, though mostly weather.

15. Garden design

16. Budgeting

18. The rest…. is to be continued…..