Brooklyn Center, residents join to build rain gardens

Road construction in Brooklyn Center's Riverwood neighborhood looks fairly typical -- except for one minor difference.

Some of the curbs lining residents' yards have a 3-foot-wide gap. No, this wasn't a mistake. The open space in the curbs is to invite water and street runoff to flow through -- right into rain gardens.

These structures are shallow, dug-out areas filled with plants and mulch that absorb rain water as it flows down streets or sidewalks. The gardens help to filter out waste, fertilizers and pesticides that might be in the runoff.

The city of Brooklyn Center is partnering with Riverwood residents to build 11 rain gardens as part of the city's street reconstruction project. Homeowners volunteered their front lawns for the rain garden project, which will help reduce storm water runoff and filter debris from the road.

Before this project, the water drained directly into the Mississippi River, which borders Riverwood's east side.

The agreement is that Brooklyn Center will build the gardens and provide the plants, if residents plant their gardens and maintain them.

About 30 residents applied to have a rain garden installed in their yards. City officials and design consultants walked the neighborhood to see which yards were best positioned to trap water runoff.

"It works the best when you have residents willing and able to be involved," said Andrea Moffatt, senior environmental scientist with WSB & Associates, Inc., the project's consultant. "This neighborhood is a good example of that."

More rain gardens possible

Brooklyn Center is about halfway done with its city-wide street reconstruction project. When city streets were first built in the 1960s, it wasn't common to put in storm-water management systems, said Todd Blomstrom, director of public works. In the Riverwood neighborhood, for example, drain pipes went straight to the river.

In new residential building projects, it is mandated that a storm water treatment system -- usually a pond -- be built to hold excess rainfall and runoff. But in this fully developed Brooklyn Center neighborhood, there is no extra room to design a pond. That's why rain gardens are the best option, Blomstrom said.

The rain gardens -- combined with two underground vaults that will collect water, filter out debris and discharge water -- will be a "substantial improvement" to the neighborhood's storm-water issues, he said.

If this project is successful, the city will consider partnering with residents in other neighborhoods to build more rain gardens, he said.

A look at Maplewood

Maplewood has been working with residents since the late-1990s to build and maintain rain gardens as part of the city's street reconstruction project.

Maplewood has built and paid for more than 100 rain gardens, and in return has asked residents to volunteer their yards and gardening skills. Some gardens are also built on business properties or on city land, said Erin Laberee, assistant city engineer for Maplewood.

Homeowners, especially those who enjoy gardening, have embraced the program, she said.

In Brooklyn Center's Riverwood neighborhood, residents can't wait for their gardens to be built. Before the end of summer, the gardens will be designed and dug according to how they best fit in each front yard. Next, residents can decide what kinds of plants they prefer to have in their garden.

The plants will arrive in the spring.

Sandra Anderson, who will have an 8- by 16-foot garden installed in her front yard, is excited to plant and tend to her garden. Her back yard faces the river, and she joins many of her neighbors in wanting to keep the river healthy.

"It's a privilege to live on the river, but it's an obligation, too," she said. "We are taking care of New Orleans."

Michelle Ma • 612-673-7512

Michelle Ma • mma@startribune.com