New Jersey Demonstration Rain Gardens ~
Ethel Jacobsen Elementary School

 

Ethel Jacobsen Elementary School
200 South Barnegat Avenue, Surf City, Ocean County, New Jersey 08008

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):

Amy Boyajian, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program
    

History:

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program staff presented Stormwater Management in Your Schoolyard curriculum to the Ethel Jacobsen Elementary School third grade class in November 2010. This session included lessons on stormwater and how it can be managed through the use of rain barrels and rain gardens. In May 2011 these students assisted with the installation of two rain gardens on their school grounds. Materials for the rain gardens were provided through a Go Green grant the school received from the OceanFirst Foundation.

The Ethel Jacobsen Elementary School rain gardens were installed to beautify the site and to intercept, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff from a portion of the school's roof before it enters the neighboring Barnegat Bay. The stormwater will enter the rain gardens through redirected downspouts located in the front and on the side of the school building.

To address the water quality issues associated with increased stormwater runoff, demonstration projects like this rain garden are essential.

The rain garden installation was featured in a variety of media outlets:

•     Click here to view the COASTodian article
•     Click here to view The SandPaper article
  

Type of Runoff Managed:

These rain gardens manage stormwater runoff coming from a portion of the school's roof.

Installation:

The rain gardens were installed in May 2011 with assistance from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program staff and undergraduate student interns and the Ethel Jacobsen Elementary School Maintenance Department. Shovels were used to excavate the two sites. The third grade students and their teacher planted the rain gardens.
   

Plant Layout:

Rain Garden Map

Plant List:

Front Rain Garden Plants

Beach Plum
Black-eyed Susan
Butterfly Weed
Columbine
Little Bluestem
New England Aster
Phlox
Wild Bergamot

Side Rain Garden Plants

Black-eyed Susan
Blue Flag Iris
Butterfly Weed
Daylily
Inkberry Holly
Little Bluestem
Purple Coneflower
Seaside Goldenrod
Turtlehead
Yellow Wild Indigo

 

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

Maintenance:
   
These rain gardens will be maintained by members of the Ethel Jacobsen Elementary School Garden Team.

Photographs:

Click here for photographs of the Ethel Jacobsen Elementary School rain gardens.