New Jersey Demonstration Rain Gardens ~
Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority

 

Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority
1645 Ferry Avenue, Camden, Camden County, New Jersey 08104

Google (TM) Map	Site Contact(s)	History	Runoff Managed
Installation	Plant Layout	Maintenance	Photographs

 

Google (TM) Map:

View New Jersey Demonstration Rain Gardens in a larger map

Site Contact(s):

Mike Haberland, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Camden and Burlington Counties
    

History:

The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority rain garden was installed to beautify the site and to intercept, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff from Ferry Avenue and Webster Street. The stormwater will enter the rain garden that is situated in the median through curb cuts.

This rain garden helps to mitigate nuisance flooding in the area and reduces nonpoint source pollution and stormwater that would otherwise discharge into the City of Camden’s combined sewer system.

This rain garden is part of the Cooper River Watershed. The Cooper River Watershed is characterized by extensive residential and commercial development. As a result its streams are severely impacted by increased stormwater runoff. To address the water quality issues associated with increased stormwater runoff, demonstration projects like this rain garden are essential.

Type of Runoff Managed:

This rain garden, situated in the median, manages stormwater runoff from the adjacent roadways via two curb cuts on Ferry Avenue and one curb cut on Webster Street.

Installation:

The rain garden was installed in March 2011 by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program staff, attendees of the South Jersey Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers Program, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Camden County, Camden County Soil Conservation District, South Jersey Land and Water Trust, Center for Environmental Transformation, Heart of Camden, New Jersey Tree Foundation, and other local neighborhood groups affiliated with the Camden SMART Initiative.  Approval to install the rain garden was granted by the City of Camden and the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority. With assistance from Fleet Construction & Remodeling Co., Inc., the existing soil was excavated, removed, and disposed off-site. Approximately 8 cubic yards of a 50% sand and 50% compost soil blend was tilled into the remaining soil, then 2 cubic yards of top soil was spread throughout the rain garden.  These amendments were added to improve both the rain garden’s infiltration rate and soil nutrient capacity. The native plants that were installed in the rain garden were purchased from Pinelands Nursery & Supply. This rain garden was funded by a 319(h) grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and from the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority.
   

Plant Layout:

Rain Garden Map 

Plant List:

Bitter Panic Grass
Blackhaw Viburnum
Black Tupelo
Brown-eyed Susan
Culver’s Root
False Sunflower
New England Aster
Red Twig Dogwood
River Birch
Seaside Goldenrod
Spotted Horsemint
Sweet Pepperbush/Summersweet

Click here to download Adobe Reader to view the rain garden map and the plant list fact sheets.
 

Maintenance:
   
This rain garden is maintained by the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority in partnership with other local neighborhood groups affiliated with the Camden SMART Initiative.

Photographs & Videos:

Click here for photographs of the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority rain garden.

Click here for a documentary video about this rain garden. This video was prepared by students at Urban Promise Academy in Camden, New Jersey.