New Jersey Demonstration Rain Gardens ~
Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. Headquarters
2235 Route 70 West, Cherry Hill, Camden County, New Jersey 08002

Subaru of America, Inc. Operations Center
7041 North Park Drive, Pennsauken, Camden County, New Jersey 08109

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 Subaru of America, Inc. rain gardens were installed to beautify the site and to intercept, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff. The rain garden at the Subaru of America, Inc. Headquarters manages stormwater from the surrounding parking lot. The Subaru of America, Inc. Operations Center rain garden manages stormwater runoff from a portion of the roof.

These rain gardens are part of the Cooper River Watershed. The Cooper River watershed is characterized by extensive residential and commercial development, and 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 these rain gardens are essential.

Type of Runoff Managed:

The rain garden situated in the parking lot median of Subaru of America, Inc. Headquarters manages stormwater runoff from a portion of the parking lot.

The rain garden located behind the Subaru of America, Inc. Operations Center manages stormwater runoff from a portion of the roof.

Installation:

The Subaru of America, Inc. rain gardens were installed in October 2011 by The Brickman Group, Ltd. Staff from Brickman who completed the Gloucester County Rain Garden Training for Professional Landscapers Program designed and installed these rain gardens.

At the Subaru of America, Inc. Headquarters rain garden, the labor included excavating, removing existing soil, and de-compacting the soil below the planting zone. Then, soil amendments were added to the planting zone by adding two yards of a sand and topsoil mixture to allow for improved infiltration and nutrient content.

Installation of the rain garden at the Subaru of America, Inc. Operations Center involved excavating, removing existing soil, and adding a small amount of topsoil to improve nutrient content. Sand did not need to be added since the existing soil demonstrated adequate infiltration.

Delaware River stone was placed through the center of both rain gardens to minimize erosion and to slow stormwater runoff entering and exiting the rain garden. Native plants were installed, and then a three-inch layer of triple shredded hardwood mulch was spread around them.

Approval to install these rain gardens was granted by Subaru of America, Inc. These rain gardens were funded by a 319(h) grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The Subaru of America, Inc. Headquarters rain garden installation was featured in a variety of media outlets:

•     Click here to view the Subaru of America, Inc. article
•     Click here to view the Stormwater Solutions article

Plant Layout:

Rain Garden Map

Plant Lists:

Headquarters

Blue Flag Iris
Inkberry Holly
Purple Coneflower
Red Twig Dogwood
Red Switchgrass
Variegated Sweetflag

Operations Center

Blue Flag Iris
Goldenrod
Inkberry
Purple Coneflower
Red Switchgrass
Redtwig Dogwood
Serviceberry
Variegated Sweet Flag

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

Maintenance:

These rain gardens are maintained by lanscapers contracted by Subaru of America, Inc.

Photographs:

Click here for photographs of the Subaru of America, Inc. Headquarters rain garden.

Click here for installation videos of the Subaru of America, Inc. Operations Center rain garden.