Muncie Whitely Neighborhood Gets 'Rain Gardens' Grant

By Shareen Wagley

The Muncie Sanitary District, and its partners, was one of only eight communities in the United States to recieve this Centers for Disease Control grant. The CDC granting process is very competitive and Muncie was chosen out of thousands of applications.

Year 1 of this three year program, will include workshops and installation of rain barrels in the Whitely neighborhood. Rain barrels, or rain harvesting, can help minimize flooding and pollutants from runoff. Communities such as Philadelphia PA and the State of KY have implemented highly successful rain barrel programs. You can find them online.

Year 2 will consist of the installation of a large community rain garden in the Whitely neighborhood. Communities such as Chicago, Bloomington and Indianapolis are undertaking large rain garden programs as well to reduce flooding, improve runoff quality and enhance the look of urban settings. The rain garden in Whitely will be part of their community assets for years to come.

Year 3 will focus on smaller scale rain gardens with workshops and installation of single home rain gardens. An individual homeowner can install a small rain garden which will attract hummingbirds and butterflies, as well as treat the runoff from that persons impervious surface on their property - ie: rooftop, driveways etc.

Rain gardens are dry when the weather is dry. When it rains, the garden is designed to hold the water for a short time (usually less than 2 days) and to encourage infiltration into the soil. Since this water is held in the garden, it will hold the water back from the big rush of water after a rain, assisting in lessening flooding. As the water then infiltrates into the ground, the plants as well as the ground will filter pollutants, therefore improving water quality.

The purpose of this grant is to mitigate against flooding, improve water quality and assist in reducing health issues such as ecoli, west nile virus and mold in homes previously flooded by preventing stagnant waters throughout the community.

The Muncie Sanitary District, Whitely Neighborhood and their partners in this project are very proud to have been chosen as one of the few to be awarded this grant to implement this program.

Any questions on the project, or to participate, please contact:

Stormwater Management
Shareen Wagley
213-6468
swagley@munciesanitary.org

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