New Jersey Demonstration Rain Gardens ~
Yorkship Elementary School

Yorkship Elementary School
1251 Collings 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):

Jeremiah Bergstrom, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program
    

History:

The Yorkship Elementary School rain garden was installed to intercept, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff from a modular classroom building on the school grounds.

Staff from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program delivered an educational program for the student government members at the Yorkship Elementary School. This educational program included a discussion about what a rain garden is and how it works and facts about the native plants that they helped to install in their school's rain garden.

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 manages stormwater runoff from a portion of a modular classroom building roof via a redirected downspout.

Installation:

The rain garden was installed in May 2013 by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program staff and the New Jersey Tree Foundation’s Green Streets Program. The rain garden was excavated by using a skid steer to remove the top layer of sod, and shovels were used to reach the appropriate depth. One downspout that was originally directed to the lawn was redirected to the rain garden to serve as the inlet. A three inch layer of mulch was spread throughout the rain garden to help thwart weeds. The native plants that were installed by the student government members in this rain garden were purchased from North Creek Nurseries, Inc.

Approval to install the rain garden was granted by the Principal at Yorkship Elementary School.  This rain garden was funded by a 319(h) grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Plant Layout:

Rain Garden Map

Rain Garden Parameters:

Rain garden size - 155 square feet

Drainage area - 500 square feet

Plant List:

Beebalm
Black-eyed Susan
Creek Sedge
Foxglove Beardtongue
New England Aster
Purple Coneflower

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 staff and students at Yorkship Elementary School.

Photographs:

Click here for photographs of the Yorkship Elementary School rain garden.