8/3/2019 Rain Gardens: Build a Rain Garden to Conserve Water

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August 2009 www.hud.gov/ofces/pih/programs/ph/phecc/newsletter/newsletter.cfm Volume 7, Issue 8

U p c o m i n g E v E n t sHealhy Buld 2009

Sept 13-17, 2009 | Syracuse, NY

www.hb2009.org/home

2009 pHADA Lelae FruSept 20-22, 2009 | Washington, DC

www.tinyurl.com/phada09

Eery ad ErealBuld Allae cferee adExSept 28-30, 2009 | Denver, CO

www.eeba.org/conference/index.html

naal cul f saeHu Aee Aualcferee

Oct 3-6, 2009 | San Antonio, TX

www.ncsha.org/conference.

cfm/2882

ceAle! 2009, ieraalgree ifraruure creOctober 19-21, 2009 | Toronto,

Canadawww.citiesalive.org

Build a Rain Garden to Conserve WaterA rain garden catches rainfall and stormwaterrunoff and is designed to withstand the extremesof moisture and high concentrations of nutrients,particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorus that are

found in stormwater runoff. Rain gardens catchstormwater runoff and serve to slow the stormwateras it travels downhill, giving the water more timeto seep into the soil and less opportunity to gainmomentum and erosive power.

A rain garden is not only attractive, but it mayalso support habitat for birds and butteries. Itmay be a small contained garden plot, or it may beincorporated into a larger garden as a border or asan entry feature. What denes a rain garden is thatit catches and stores water and then assists in thetreatment of that water by removal of nutrients.

Soils in the rain garden are engineered andappropriate plants must be selected especiallyfor the rain garden. Nutrient levels and overallsediment loads in the stormwater are reduced by

the action of the plants and growing media on thewater. Multiple rain gardens over an area will havea positive cumulative effect on both the volume andquality of stormwater run-off.

There are two basic types of rain gardens underdrained and self-contained. Both types of raingardens are used to improve stormwater qualityreduce runoff volumes and generally facilitateinltration of cleaned water. Which type of gardenis selected to be built is a balance of volumesof water to be treated, existing soil conditionsavailable space, and budget for the project.

Additional information on rain gardens can alsobe found at the Low Impact Development Centerwebsite. Rain garden design templates for thNortheast United States can be found by clickinghere. These templates provide a set of easy to userain garden designs for the landscape industry andcitizens to facilitate building a rain garden.

The Helena Housing Authority (HHA), a small PHAwith 366 units, has started the rst EPC in Montana.The total project is $2.4 million which the PHAexpects to repay with utility savings over the next 15years after completing the energy upgrades on all 366housing units.

The HHA excluded approximately $700,000 of theproject costs from the EPC and will pay for thisportion of the project with American Recovery andReinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. The HHA nancedthe remaining $1.7 million of the project and will usethe energy savings each year to repay the debt.

The HHA has 132 housing units that were constructedin 1939. These units may be completely renovated, sothe HHA decided that these units would only receiveshort term energy upgrades which would give a fasterpayback for the EPC. These upgrades will include

weatherization and new light sockets to accommodatecompact orescent lights. The remaining units willreceive full energy upgrades including new toilets,faucets, sinks and showerheads.

Natural gas furnaces and the central boiler systemsat several properties will be replaced to improveheating and efciency. Solar panels will be installedand will power HHAs main ofce.

Due to HHAs small staff size they utilized JohnsonControls an Energy Services Company (ESCO) tocomplete the project. The ESCO has guaranteed theHHA $210,000 in savings each year, but this could behigher which would allow the HHA to pay down thedebt faster.

The HHA began involving the residents early in theproject. They held workshops with residents beforethe project began. This gave the residents valuableinformation on the project, which the HHA believeswill assist in furthering the goals of the EPC whileminimizing conicts.

The EPC will also support local contractors andsuppliers. It is estimated that the project could create58 jobs and inject $5 million in additional spendinginto the states economy.

Additional benets of this EPC include standardizationof inventory which will reduce maintenance costs andby reducing the authoritys carbon footprint, keepingan estimated 1.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide,795 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 2,295 pounds ofnitrogen oxide from entering the atmosphere. Thatsthe equivalent to removing 146 passenger cars fromthe highways or the planting of 204 acres of trees peryear.

First PHA EPC In Montana

For additional information please contact JoshLaFromboise, Executive Director of the HelenHousing Authority at (406) 442-7970 Ext 117 or ematojlafromboise@hhamt.org.

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Low Volume Irrigationfor LandscapingIn many communities between 30% - 50% ofthe total water supply is used for landscapeirrigation. Low volume irrigation systems(sometimes referred to as drip or trickleirrigation) are among the most effectivemeans of achieving signicant water savings.Like conventional overhead irrigationsystems, low volume systems require properdesign, installation, maintenance andoperation for optimum water savings andplant performance.

Unlike overhead irrigation systems, theprimary design goal of a low volume systemis to apply water to a uniform soil depth,either directly to the plant root zone or in alimited area. Water is delivered at or belowthe surface of the planted area versus to thesurface of the planted area.

Installation: Most low volume irrigationsystems are installed at or near the surfaceof the landscape area and covered with

2-3 inches of mulch. Typically, this type

of installation requires less time and costthan a conventional overhead system. Insome commercial applications, the systemis installed in an underground trench andexposure of any drip tubing is minimal.

Low-volume irrigation systems reduce oreliminate water waste by applying waterto meet specic plant needs. The rate ofapplication is also more closely alignedwith the soils inltration rate, and water isdirectly applied to the plant root system/zoneto maximize water use efciency and reduceloses through evaporation. Since water isdirected exactly where it is needed most,very little is wasted on the areas betweenwidely spaced plants, or on streets, sidewalksand gutters.

Soaker hoses and porous hoses are both typesof low volume irrigation systems. A soakerhose can be moved to various locationswithin the landscape or it can be left in amore permanent location and pressurizedby a regular garden hose as needed. Mostsoaker hoses are used in conjunction withan automated system. A porous hose is very

similar to a soaker hose. However, its unique

construction material enables the entire hoseto deliver irrigation water. These systemsare frequently used in landscape beds andare also used in sub-irrigation systems forturfgrass. A porous hose can be an effectivemeans of providing water to the landscapehowever, the delivery rate can be somewhavariable in areas that are not level.

Drip systems typically use polyethylenepipe to deliver water to a small drip emitterEmitters come in a variety of sizes, shapesand specications. Most are rated in gallonshour, making it relatively easy to determinehow much water is being applied duringirrigation. Drip emitters can be spacedevenly along the delivery pipe or clustered aspecic locations within the landscape areaDrip emitters with pressure compensationand backow prevention provide optimumcontrol over the volume of irrigation watersupplied.

The use of a good low-volume irrigationsystem is one of the most valuable ways toconserve water in the landscape. Thesesystems are typically low cost, easy to operate

and relatively maintenance free.

CMHAIn the fall of 2007 Cuyahoga MetropolitanHousing Authority (CMHA) installedgreen roofs at seven of its low-rise familyunits building in Lakeview Terrace. Theplants are doing extremely well and theydocumented their progress with two separateslideshows, one showing the 2008 growthseason, and one showing the 2009 season.In 2009 the plantings exploded into a lushcovering which is beautiful and contributesto the energy efciency of the buildings.

DCHA Regency House Senior CenterIn April 2009 the District of ColumbiaHousing Authority (DCHA), celebrated theopening of the Regency House Senior Centergreen roof. The 6,140 square foot sustainableroof consists of low-level vegetation, stonewalkways, and assorted seating areas. Arain-harvesting system helps irrigate the roofusing rainwater as much as possible insteadof the citys water. In addition, the roofincludes six state-of-the-art solar panels thatcollect energy used to power the building.

Other green building improvements toRegency House include a heat-recoverysystem to conserve energy during thesummer months and new water-efcientoilets, showerheads, and faucets installed inevery unit.

Regency House Senior Center consists of159 apartments and has housed elderly anddisabled residents ages 62 and over since1962.

PHAs are Using Green Roofs to Reduce Stormwater Runoff and Heat

PHA Youth RecyclingField TripsCMHA took teen residents to the local recycling/landll facility to learn about recycling

Recently, Cuyahoga Metropolitan HousingAuthoritys (CMHA) Energy Group took teenageresidents on a tour of the Lorain County Recycling/Landll Facility located in Oberlin, Ohio.

The goal of this tour was to create awareness on howthey can do their part to ensure future generationswill benet from our earths dwindling naturalresources.Today I learned that recycling is important and its

something that I can do to make a difference. saidBrittany Church, CMHA resident. And to see whereall our trash goes into the landll had a big impacton me.

CMHA and the Girl Scouts went to the Cleveland Zooto learn about recyclingRecently, CMHA and the Girls Scouts took a eldtrip to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Both the zooand CMHAs Energy Conservation/SustainabilityDepartment share a similar mission that focuses on

conserving the natural world around us. The zoo isnot only concerned about the lives of the plants andanimals exhibited, but also the natural resourcesused every day.Scouts from CMHAs Garden Valley and Woodhill

Estates are highlighting recycling as one of the meriareas that they are working on for 2009. The zoowas a lot of fun and I learned what it means to not

just throw things away, but to recycle and reuse,said Shayla Pettway from the Garden Valley GirScout Troop.Nancy Hughes, Educational Director for theCleveland Zoo explained the importance of recyclingin their everyday work environment. She alsoconcentrated on the zoos program for recyclingcans, bottles, paper, cell phones, and ink cartridges.

Overall I think it was a very positive learningexperience for both the kids and the adults, saidLarry Davis, CMHA Sustainability Manager. It wasan informative session that held the kids attentionThey walked away knowing a lot more abourecycling.

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