Rain+Garden+at+Umstead+Park

Rain Garden at Umstead State Park Brooke Chow // 2A Ogren 11 November 2017 I had the opportunity to construct the rain garden in the one-acre parking lot at Umstead State Park. Specifically, I transported the large flat rocks and pieced them together like a puzzle on the sides of the slope so that they would fit together well and efficiently work to treat stormwater runoff. This project provides several benefits to the surrounding areas. First and foremost, it reduces the rainwater runoff volume and intensity of the stormwater runoff due to infiltration into the special soil media and plants installed in the medians. Second, the trees and shrubs provide much-needed shade in the unbearably hot parking lot. This shade will also reduce the temperature of the stormwater and reduce the thermal impact of the downgradient park streams. Lastly, our little "garden" will be able to sustain more plants and trees which are not only aesthetic, but also beneficial to the environment.

I’m glad I had this experience because it’s an example of what humans can do to use nature to their benefit. Physically working with nature bridges the gap between learning and understanding environmental science. I know I’ll be proud to see my work on this Rain Garden in the future when I go to Umstead State Park.