Students, staff and volunteers from Fowler Middle School in Tigard together with Clean Water Services, Tualatin Riverkeepers and the city of Tigard have transformed a landscaped area into a native plant filled pond. The rain garden will clean water before it enters storm drains that lead straight to Summer Creek—the school’s backyard stream.
The Fowler rain garden is a model project for stormwater management that included students in the design and construction and will enlist their help for the long-term care.
In October 2007, Clean Water Services crews worked at Fowler to remove sod from the designated rain garden area, place erosion-control fabric on the swale bottom and add compost to the planting area.
Then, in November, students, volunteers and staff gathered together to install native plants in the rain garden including: Oregon grape, mock orange, swamp rose, salmonberry, spirea and three native grasses. After the plants become established, crews made several curb cuts and construct speed (rain) bumps to direct stormwater runoff from the parking lot into the pond and swale.
September 2008
Students painted fish on the rain bumps diverting water into the pond and swale.
Contact Information
If your school or community group is interested in installing a rain garden please use the contacts listed below.
Carrie Pak, Engineering Division Manager, (503) 681-3646 or pakc@cleanwaterservices.org
Karen DeBaker, Communications Supervisor, (503) 681-3643 or debakerk@cleanwaterservices.org