Stacy Levy
Springside Rain Wall and Garden, 2008
Philadelphia PA .PVC pipe, glass pipe, native perennials, rainwater.
A project with the Philadelphia Water Department and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, this garden functions by treating the storm water in place, and preventing it from being expelled directly into the local waterways, thus reducing the effect of erosion of the stream’s banks. Water is carried from the roof gutter through a series of pipes reminiscent of the watershed. Some of the pipes are clear to show the passage of rain water through the system into a graded swale filled with native plants. This swale slows the stormwater and allows it to infiltrate into the soil rather than running directly into storm sewers. The Springside Rain Wall and Garden also celebrates the connection of rainwater to watersheds and makes rain an event to look forward to.