Volunteers from Wyoming’s Environmental Stewardship Commission and Urban Forestry & Beautification Commission gathered on a recent Saturday, garden tools in hand, to perform annual maintenance on the rain garden at Wyoming High School.
The rain garden is a landscaped, shallow basin designed to capture water runoff. It allows water to seep slowly into the ground instead of rushing further into Wyoming’s storm water system. Storm water runoff can overload underground drains and create flooding. The garden also acts as a filter to remove pollutants and let them break down naturally over time.
Wyoming’s garden was built with financial assistance from the Cincinnati Metropolitan Sewer District, the City of Wyoming, and the Wyoming Board of Education. ESC and Urban Forestry work together to organize volunteers each year to provide maintenance of the garden, including removing garbage and pulling weeds.
“This was my third year doing this,” said high school volunteer Charley Babb of the event, which is usually held in spring, but switched this year to fall. “It is important to do this each year to keep it clean and working. I had fun this time cutting a path through the middle so people could walk and check it out.”
Caroline Ammerman, ESC member and a regular volunteer at the rain garden cleanup noted, “Working on the rain garden with enthusiastic volunteers like Charley was such an uplifting event, and the rain garden looked wonderful when we were done.”
Residents are welcome to visit the rain garden to learn more about how landscaping can mitigate storm water damage.ESC and Urban Forestry also welcome new volunteers in their efforts to maintain Wyoming’s urban green spaces and the rain garden.
For more information about the rain garden, volunteering and educational opportunities to learn how to organize similar storm water mitigation techniques, contact Chris Babb, cbabb@fioptics.com.
