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July 18, 2012
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North Fork News
THE INDEPENDENT ! Traveler Watchman
REAL ESTATE
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storm drain. Stormwater that travels into the rain garden is temporarily F ponded, so pollutants are treated by the soil and through plant uptake as the water seeps down to recharge the aquifer. “Rain gardens are a great way to protect the groundwater and improve water quality,” Romaine said. It gets better. All of the plants were purchased unveiled one cutting edge – and pretty – method. They cut the ribbon locally and were chosen to attract on a state-of-the-art rain garden at butterflies and other pollinators or the Cornell Cooperative Extension provide food for birds. Additional building on Griffing Avenue in selection criteria, such as nativeness to Long Island, salt tolerance, bloom Riverhead. According to a release from the time, height, flower color, and lawmaker, “This highly visible project deciduousness, were considered. An serves a dual purpose of public informational kiosk will greet visitors education and innovative stormwater and explain the garden’s purpose. There are plant signs identifying each management.” He explained: the garden captures individual species. This rain garden was planted with and filters the first two to three inches native species that are adapted to the of rain that falls on the parking lot before it reaches the traditional local climate and rainfall, Romaine
Traveler Watchman Truth without fear since 1826
A Growing Phenomenon By Kitty Merrill
Into every life, a little rain must fall . . . then what happens? From an environmental standpoint stormwater hits the roads and sidewalks or pesticide treated lawns and farmland and seeps, replete with pollutants, into the aquifer. How best to manage stormwater runoff is a challenge that furrows the collective brow of many a municipality. Last week, North Fork Legislator Ed Romaine and the Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District
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Independent /
Legislator Ed Romaine (left) cuts the ribbon with (from left to right) Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director Vito Minei, Soil and Water Conservation District Manager Paul TeNyenhuis and District Chairman George Proios.
reported. Once established, they seldom need watering or fertilizing. The project was funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency all committed to provide planting assistance and maintenance. “This demonstration project provides a great benefit to the environment without a substantial effect on parking space. I want to thank the staff of the Soil and Water Conservation District for their leadership on this project and the Department of Public Works for agreeing to think outside-the-box of traditional parking lot design to construct this rain garden,” said Romaine. According to the Rain Garden Network, building a rain garden is probably the easiest and most cost efficient thing you can do to reduce your contribution to stormwater pollution. A rain garden can mimic the natural absorption and pollutant removal activities of a forest, or a meadow or a prairie and can absorb runoff more efficiently, sometimes as much as 30 to 40 percent more then a standard lawn. Capturing rainwater in a rain garden, holding the water for a short time and then slowly releasing it into the soil can reduce the rush of a large storm – quickly, neatly and naturally. Because rain gardens are dug four to eight inches deep, and in some cases just one to two inches deep, they hold larger quantities of rainwater making their overall construction more cost efficient then other green alternatives. Rain gardens also need less technical experience to install and can be installed without permits or heavy equipment. kmerrill@indyeastend.com