Lincoln Drive Bioretention Project
more than a rain garden
See photo essays of the project: under construction & planting day
Latest Info: We will do more planting and cleaning up on GreenScape Day, April 19, 2008
Last weekend, Oct. 20 & 21, 2007, the Spa Creek Conservancy joined with Forest Villa neighbors and businesses to spruce up the beautiful rain garden we built last spring, in partnership with other environmental groups, at the very origin of Spa Creek. The work was not quite completed, and a few volunteers are needed this Saturday, Oct. 27, to plant some shrubs and bulbs.
Here's a recap from Volunteer Coordinator Amy Clements:
Thank you all so much for a job well done (and almost completed)! Saturday was a beautiful day to work in the garden and we had good, solid help for our planting. If only we could have spent the whole time planting -– most of the time was spent trying and mostly succeeding in removing the wiregrass from the garden. I’m sure I wasn't the only one with a sore back the next day.
A few of us returned on Sunday to get some more planting done and we’re going to do a final planting on Saturday, Oct. 27, beginning at 9 a.m. The mulching, arranged by the South River Federation, will take place during the week of Oct. 29 to give us time to finish planting.
My thanks to Holli, Brent, Cassie, Kevin, Alex, Suzanne, Christina, Burnell, Bruce, Jim, Cindy, Dan (with his romance shovel), Anne for her great plan, and Mel for his moral support and endless help. You all were a great team with great spirit.
There are about 75 plants that are still in pots, 100 fat daffodil bulbs and lovely swaths of wiregrass begging to be removed. We will place the plants in their correct locations before Saturday’s planting. We need volunteers to do the planting on Saturday!
By the way, several neighbors thanked us for being there again and commented on how great it has looked all year. This is a really fulfilling job, folks, and I’m proud to be a part of it. And thank you to Dave Miller! He moved all of the plants out from behind his fence on the pallets using his forklift.
-- Amy Clements
Update:
The rain garden was planted on April 21, 2007, by a group of volunteers 
from
the Lincoln Drive neighborhood, the Spa Creek Conservancy, the South River Federation, and other community minded citizens from other parts of the city. The native plants bloomed and prospered all summer (thanks to volunteers who kept them watered) and the entire neighborhood saw just how beautiful a rain garden can be. Even more important, the rain garden filters stormwater runoff from the Chinquapin Industrial Park's many driveways, roof tops, parking lots and streets. The water that flows into the rain garden makes its way to a large culvert which forms the origin of Spa Creek. Now that water is filtered and the creek will be off to a better, cleaner start. The Center for Watershed Protection predicts a reduction of at least 38% in undesirable phosphorous entering the creek because of the rain garden.
In March we began tearing up “blacktop” at the end of Lincoln Drive, just off Chinquapin Round Road, in the industrial area. This location is about 50 feet from the origin of Spa Creek. The fact that Spa Creek starts under the industrial park as a large stormwater outlet is mostly unknown to those who travel over Eastport Bridge looking at yachts and beautiful waterfront homes.
This project is of interest and unique for many reasons.
The idea started with Eastern Petroleum Corporation's CEO wanting to do something to clean up the stormwater coming off the company's parking lot. He is affiliated with South River Federation, who asked Spa Creek Conservancy (the watershed stewards) to partner with the Federation to obtain a grant from Chesapeake Bay Trust and bring the City in as a partner. The grant request was approved. Eastern Petroleum made a substantial matching cash donation for all the plant materials. Alderwoman Classie Hoyle involved the adjoining Forest Villa community in the endeavor.
The property in question belongs to the adjoining business, DL Miller Backhoe Services, whose owner gave us permission to proceed.
The City is providing in-kind Department of Neighborhood and Environmental Programs and Department of Public Works technical support and excavation crews and equipment. This partnership is part of the Mayor’s commitment to “leading by example” in keeping with Annapolis’ emphasis on being an environmental role model for small cities.
This project will be a showcase for the businesses in the industrial park and the Conservancy is encouraging them to take similar actions to clean up their own properties. Dozens of troublesome sites were recently identified in the Spa Creek Headwaters Subwatershed Restoration Management Plan developed by the Center for Watershed Protection for the Conservancy.
The planting of the rain garden and dedication will be part of a GreenScape event on April 21st. We hope to make it a real community event with refreshments and lots of fun for all.
In addition to providing an aesthetically pleasing street-end park garden for the neighborhood, the bioretention area will incorporate the existing three storm drains. The first inch plus of stormwater runoff, containing 70% of the pollutants, coming from the acre-plus of impervious surfaces (parking lots, roofs, etc.) will now be treated and filtered before entering the creek. The CWP predicts a reduction of at least 38% in undesirable phosphorous entering the creek after completion!
This project exemplifies the partnering of funding public trusts, local government, citizen volunteer environmental organizations, communities, and environmentally sensitive businesses -- all at no direct cost to the taxpayer. This model must be used many times over if we are to save and protect our precious watersheds, and the Bay.