Rain Garden Construction (Site 37C)

The warm weather has construction crews resuming their work on implementing green stromwater infrastructure in Roger Williams Park. Site 37 C , located on Verndale Ave behind the Natural History Museium, will be the future home of a beautiful stormwater rain garden. Rain Gardens are designed to intercept stormwater runoff before it reaches a stream or a pond. Once the stormwater is in the raingarden, it slowly infiltrates into the ground, is absorbed by plant roots, and pollutants in the stormwater are reduced.

Site 37 C will have a sediment forebay to slow down stormwater runoff and deposit sediment before it enters the rain garden. Excessive sediment in a rain garden can kill plants and slow down infiltration rates of stormwater into the soil and groundwater.

Rain garden Site 37 C will be planted with plants native to Rhode Island that provide habitat for bees, birds and insects. Summersweet Clehtra, Diablo Ninebark, Inkberry, Tupelo Tree, Bald Cypress, Spice Bush, Meadowsweet, Winterberry, Groundecover Chokeberry will all be planted in the rain garden. The floor of the rain garden will be planted with a specific native seed mix containing Fox Sedge, Blunt Broom Sedge, Lurid Sedge, Hop Sedge, Fowl Bluegrass, Bidens Frondosa, Green Bulrush, Swamp Milkweed, Fringed Sedge, New York Ironweed, Soft Rush, Calico Aster, BlueFlag Iris, American Mannagrass, Monkey Flower, Joe Pye Weed all of which with thrive in rain garden conditions.