Rain Garden at Lendonwood

Local Master Gardener volunteers planted a rain garden outside Lendonwood Gardens on Thursday, July 12. This rain garden, and several more that are soon to receive plants, are being funded through the CLEAR GRAND project, a collaborative effort to keep Grand Lake , and the streams and rivers that feed it, clean.

“When it rains, stormwater picks up pollutants (including fertilizer, metals, oil, etc.) from lawns, streets, parking lots, and other places and washes them toward local streams and lakes. Rain gardens are designed to capture and treat that runoff.” says CLEAR GRAND coordinator Kevin Gustavson.

Once the water enters a rain garden, the plants and soils significantly clean that water by trapping or using the excessive nutrients, oils, and metals that would otherwise flow on to local streams and lakes. Rain gardens are also beneficial in that they provide some flood control by holding water that might otherwise rush to streams. So not only are rain gardens a cost effective alternative to stormwater detention ponds, they provide the additional benefit of filtering pollutants and adding beauty and interest to the landscape.


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Caption: Rain garden plants and soils clean inflowing water before draining toward local streams and lakes.

Several other rain gardens have been constructed in the area with a few more on the way. Most of these gardens will be planted early this fall. Additional cooperators in the CLEAR GRAND Project that will soon have their own rain gardens are: Grand Lake Visitor Center ; Cherokee Queen/Royal Bay Restaurant; Grove High School ; the Early Childhood Learning Center ; Elm Creek Plaza ; and a couple residential homes.

Gustavson said, “We will be placing some signs out to help educate the public about the function of the rain gardens.” He added that there is a whole educational component to the CLEAR GRAND Project that will help Grove and other area residents better understand how lawn care, waste disposal, vehicle maintenance, septic system maintenance, and other “individual” actions can keep Grand Lake clean. For more information go to the CLEAR GRAND web site grandlakefun.com/cleargrand or call Gustavson at (918) 801-2150.