From Roof Runoff to a Rain Garden

In case you've missed it, Longfellow Elementary School is undergoing some significant construction. During this construction, the two rain gardens maintained by the Longfellow 5th grade students were paved over so construction equipment could access the site. The students decided to find another location on the school property where runoff was causing erosion and they could install a new rain garden. The site they chose was between their courtyard gardening shed and the retaining wall, where roof runoff from the shed was creating an eroded channel and sending sediment over the top of the retaining wall. Check out our before and after of the rain garden site!

This transformation will help improve stormwater runoff in the school courtyard.

In addition to building a rain garden, Longfellow students also tested their theories and lawncare equipment to determine which methods will lead to healthy yards while protecting the local streams and Casco Bay. The 5th graders presented their findings to the community on Friday, May 27th.