Rain Gardens

New Jersey Demonstration Rain Gardens ~
Dorsett Arabian Horse Farm

    Dorsett Arabian Horse Farm
    169 Russell Mill Road, Swedesboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey 08085

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

Google (TM) Map:

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    Site Contact(s):

    Mary Cummings, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County
    NOTE: Please contact Mary to schedule a visit to this rain garden.

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    History:

    The Dorsett Arabian Horse Farm rain garden was installed as part of the Stormwater     Management in Your Backyard program that targets the suburban and rural
    communities in Gloucester County. The Stormwater Management in Your Backyard
    program is funded by a United States Deparment of Agriculture Cooperative State
    Research Education and Extension Service National Integrated Water Quality Program
    under agreement number 2007-51130-03878.

The Dorsett Arabian Horse Farm rain garden was featured in the Gloucester County
Times website, the Courier-Post newspaper, and the Courier-Post website.

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    Type of Runoff Managed:

    The rain garden was installed to divert stormwater from flowing onto one
    of the horse paddocks that eventually discharges to a stream. The stormwater
    begins as overland flow from a horse paddock adjacent to Russell Mill Road. It is then     conveyed as a shallow channel through a dirt service road that has been eroded over
    time due to heavy flows and a steep grade. Water was diverted from the service
    road into the rain garden using a stone-lined swale.

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    Installation:

    A rain garden with a surface area of 300 square feet and a depth of 6 inches was
    created in an area (between the service road and horse paddock) that was grassed
    lawn. Faculty and staff from Rutgers Cooperative Extension and approximately five
    Master Gardeners of Gloucester County were present for the installation of the rain
    garden in October 2008, which was approved by the Dorsett Arabian Horse Farm.
    Staff from the Gloucester County Soil Conservation District also provided in-kind
    assistance. A small front-end loader was used to excavate the swale leading into the
    rain garden. The native soil was high in sand content and therefore did not require
    amendments. The excavated soil was reused to create a berm along the outer edge     of the rain garden, closest to the paddock fence. Triple-shredded hardwood mulch
    was installed (in a three inch thickness) on the rain garden and on the berm after
    planting. A stone-filled "overflow" notch was installed in the berm to help direct
    water away from the horse paddock during heavy storm events. The swale was lined
    with 3-4 inch river stone. An auto-level was used throughout the project to ensure
    water properly flows from the service road into the swale and rain garden.

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