Rain garden makes a splash for local school

Schoolchildren learn in the classroom about the importance of water and water cycles in daily life. Now, thanks to landscape architect and University of Victoria environmental studies master’s student Catherine Orr, this learning experience moves outdoors for the students of Oak and Orca Bioregional School in Victoria. A new rain garden will be unveiled this Friday at 2:30 p.m. The UVic community-engaged project involves grades K to 12, teachers and parents.

“The children, teachers, and parents were all part of the design process,” says Orr. “Education, collaboration and creativity are key to improving how we manage urban rainwater.”

The rainwater system runs nearly the entire length of the school site and is intended to manage water on site rather than dumping it into the stormdrain. It begins with water collection off the roof into a 960-litre cistern; the water then flows through an educational play feature and into a bioswale (a linear trench with specialized soil and plants), then ends with a native plant rain garden. The entire system is gravity fed and is designed to manage the majority of rain that falls throughout the year.

This learning-based project is a collaborative partnership with UVic, City of Victoria, Capital Regional District, Mitacs, the Real Estate Foundation, Murdoch de Greeff Inc., Vancity and the RBC Blue Water Project.

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