REDFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) – Redford Township is home to Metro Detroit’s newest rain garden, which will help prevent flooding and beautify the neighborhood around Claude Allison Park.
Pitched as a cheap alternative to installing larger sewer systems and catch basins, the new 4,500-square-foot bed will attract pollinators, retain water, and add some eye candy for residents near Beech Daly and Pickford Street.
Big picture view:
Dozens of volunteers from various organizations gathered at the park on Tuesday to convert a swath of park land into a productive piece of green space.
With oversight from the Friends of the Rouge nonprofit and funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the new bed will hold more than 26,000 gallons of stormwater.
By providing space for rain during extreme weather, it will keep water from initially entering the city’s sewer system and reduce the chance it backs up into nearby homes.
The Friends of the Rouge estimates it will keep 586,000 gallons of rainwater out of the sewer system every year.
Volunteers install stones as a foundation for the rain garden in Claude Allision Park.
Dig deeper:
The project was one of seven different rain gardens that Friends of the Rouge have installed this year. Other sites are in Southfield, Plymouth Township, and Detroit.
One rain garden may provide only localized relief, but the nonrpofit’s restoration manager says the cumulative benefit of adding more will amplify their influence over stormwater.
“The more we do it across the landscape, the more we can improve environmental conditions all together,” said Cyndi Ross.
The specific variables of the garden include native plants, which will both attract desirable insects and birds and add to the garden’s water capacity.
“These plants have really deep root structures that can help to break the soil apart, allow water to permeate deep into the ground rather than entering the system ever,” Ross said.
What you can do:
Ford, Stantec, and Bosch all participated in the event.
About 80 people in total worked on installing the rain garden.
Friends of the Rouge’s program Rain Gardens to the Rescue is among several restoration opportunities the nonprofit offers. Learn more here.
The Source: Interviews with the Friends of the Rouge and background information were used while reporting this story.
FloodingRedfordEnvironment