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Engineering Blog

Tour the New Wingra School Rain Gardens Saturday

posted June 24, 2022

The public is invited to see the Wingra School’s brand new rain gardens, learn about community/government collaboration and take a tour, 2 p.m., June 25, 2022, at the top of the hill at 3200 Monroe Street.

During Saturday’s event, City staff will host a tour and explain how community involvement made the rain gardens possible and the extensive construction process, from digging to planting. Working together in the garden photo

A rain garden is a grouping of native plants in a shallow depression with the purpose of absorbing rainwater to mitigate the amount of stormwater runoff. Listen to the Wingra School rain gardens episode of City Engineering’s podcast for more background information.

Community meets local government collaboration

City Engineering proudly promotes rain gardens as a way to combat excessive stormwater runoff. Collaboration with a private school was made possible because the rain gardens were constructed on Dudgeon School Park, a City-owned property.  Wingra School, Jacob Blasczyk, the co-chair of the WATER sub-grant team and Sandy Stark, a member of Dudgeon-Monroe Neighborhood Association, reached out to City of Madison Engineering Division Stormwater Engineer Phil Gaebler to help plan and construct the rain gardens. Wingra School needed a solution to take on long-standing run off issues, so Blasczyk and Stark reached out to the City of Madison Engineering Division to find a solution in the summer of 2021. Wingra School’s hilly location made it prone to floods. Heavy rain caused stormwater to run down the hill, which caused safety concerns and new plantings to be ruined. The rain gardens were not necessary, but addressed the flooding concerns while providing a natural habitat. 

Gaebler has been the City’s contact with the Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Association, and this project has had a number of hurdles to overcome to make the rain gardens a reality. Challenges includes funding coordination, contractor availability, and schedule coordination, but all parties were committed to making this happen and found a way to get this done.

The following funding sources contributed to this rain garden project: UW Arboretum $5,000 WATER grant and $10,000 in Engineering Division water quality grants.

“The  Friends of Lake Wingra and the Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Association each applied for a $5,000 grant from the Engineering Division for water quality work. So they got $10,000 guaranteed in extra money,” Gaebler said. “We also applied for a Dane County water quality grant for the water quality benefits of this project and are hopeful we will receive it soon.” 

What to expect

The rain gardens are located at the west and east end of Wingra School’s playground and are connected by a swale and underground tubing. Both gardens were constructed with particular drains and soil to absorb rainwater, reducing the risk of stormwater overflow. Twenty-seven volunteers worked to finish planting the gardens by late September. 

 

Flyer
Flyer for Tour






 

This content is free for use with credit to the City of Madison - Engineering and a link back to the original post.

Category: Educational, Stormwater

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Recent Posts

  • Tour the New Wingra School Rain Gardens Saturday posted June 24, 2022
  • Monarch Pledge: Prettier Planter, Before and After posted June 14, 2022
  • 5 things you can do for the environment posted June 14, 2022
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 example where Engineering has been resilient and ready? posted May 20, 2022

Archive

2022
June
  • Tour the New Wingra School Rain Gardens Saturday
  • Monarch Pledge: Prettier Planter, Before and After
  • 5 things you can do for the environment
May
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 example where Engineering has been resilient and ready?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 program that Engineering has that is most helpful for residents?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What does the future of Public Works hold for local municipalities?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is something that continues to surprise you about working in Public Works?
  • Public Works Week Panel: Why is it important to work in Public Works?
  • Median Planting Bed Conversions - Frequently Asked Questions
  • City Engineer Robert Phillips to Retire After 33 Years of City Service

Category

Blog Panel

  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 example where Engineering has been resilient and ready?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 program that Engineering has that is most helpful for residents?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is something that continues to surprise you about working in Public Works?
  • Public Works Week Panel: Why is it important to work in Public Works?

Calling it a Career

  • City Engineer Robert Phillips to Retire After 33 Years of City Service

Educational

  • Tour the New Wingra School Rain Gardens Saturday
  • Monarch Pledge: Prettier Planter, Before and After
  • 5 things you can do for the environment
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 example where Engineering has been resilient and ready?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 program that Engineering has that is most helpful for residents?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What does the future of Public Works hold for local municipalities?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is something that continues to surprise you about working in Public Works?
  • Public Works Week Panel: Why is it important to work in Public Works?
  • Median Planting Bed Conversions - Frequently Asked Questions

Environmental

  • Monarch Pledge: Prettier Planter, Before and After
  • 5 things you can do for the environment
  • Median Planting Bed Conversions - Frequently Asked Questions

Programs and Initiatives

  • Public Works Week Panel: What is 1 program that Engineering has that is most helpful for residents?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What does the future of Public Works hold for local municipalities?
  • Public Works Week Panel: What is something that continues to surprise you about working in Public Works?
  • Public Works Week Panel: Why is it important to work in Public Works?

Stormwater

  • Tour the New Wingra School Rain Gardens Saturday
  • Monarch Pledge: Prettier Planter, Before and After
  • Median Planting Bed Conversions - Frequently Asked Questions

Tags

  • Adopt A Median

Engineering

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