Rain Garden

Our rain garden was installed in August 2016 by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program and is maintained by GL’s Environmental Club. 

It is designed to collect stormwater runoff from the adjacent parking lot. The garden's basin structure allows this extra water to slowly percolate through the soil. Plants and microbes in the garden protect water quality by:

• filtering out and breaking down pollutants, such as oil and antifreeze,

• infiltrating runoff and thereby recharging groundwater supplies, and

• providing water to nearby streams and waterways between rain events.

Approximately half of the water we use in New Jersey comes from groundwater aquifers. Rain gardens are one of the quickest and easiest methods everyone can use to reduce stormwater runoff and flooding, and help protect our water resources.

Composed entirely of native plants, it offers a haven of biodiversity. These plants provide shelter and food for insects, birds, and small mammals. While exploring this garden, you are likely to encounter monarch caterpillars on milkweed leaves, goldfinches eating purple coneflower seeds, and occasionally, our elusive resident groundhog. 

We like to use the PictureThis app to identify and learn about plants. 

Read more: 

• How and why our garden was installed - Rutgers Water Resources Program

• The history behind our garden - Rutgers Water Pages

• How to Maintain a Rain Garden - Rutgers

• How we work to educate our community - TAPinto Berkeley Heights

Contact: Lara Mendenhall