Rain garden workshop coming to Sumter

Published: September 6, 2011

Carolina Clear image by: Carolina Clear

SUMTER — Learn how to build a rain garden and let nature play a role shaping your home landscape at a workshop hosted by Sumter Stormwater Solutions and Clemson University Extension.

The class will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Swan Lake Visitor Center, 822 W. Liberty St. in Sumter. The class costs $10 per person, and includes lunch and all program materials.

Registration is required by Sept. 16.

Pay in person at the Sumter County Extension office, or download the flyer at right and mail checks to Sumter County Extension, 115 N. Harvin St., Sumter, SC 29150. Make checks payable to Clemson University.

To register or for more information, contact Mary Nevins at 803-865-1216, ext. 122, or mnevins@clemson.edu.

A morning program from 10 a.m. to noon includes instruction on stormwater movement, how rain gardens work and garden design. An afternoon session from 1 to 2 features a tour of a new rain garden and stormwater wetlands at Patriot Park.

The workshop is sponsored by Sumter County; the city of Sumter; Carolina Clear, Clemson’s stormwater pollution education and awareness program; and Sumter Stormwater Solutions.

The popularity of rain gardens has grown enormously as more people become aware of the impact of their homes and yards have on nearby water bodies.

Water that runs over impervious surfaces, such as roads, roofs and parking lots, picks up pollutants along the way, which are carried to lakes, rivers and estuaries. These pollutants include bacteria, nutrients, litter, sediments, oils and metals.

Correctly constructed rain gardens allow stormwater runoff to slowly infiltrate the groundwater table. Rain gardens absorb excess nitrogen and phosphorous in stormwater and trap sediment while biological processes filter out other pollutants.

To help understand how rain gardens work, Carolina Clear has produced a 16-page rain garden manual that is available for download free of charge from the Carolina Clear website.

The manual details how to build a successful rain garden and site selection, design, planting and maintenance. The manual identifies dozens of shrubs, trees, perennials and grass that can be planted in gardens across the state’s diverse regions. There also are tables to calculate how much mulch is needed and examples of rain garden designs.

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Sumter Stormwater Solutions
Sumter Stormwater Solutions is a regional collaboration involving Clemson University’ Carolina Clear program in partnership with communities and educators from universities, state agencies and nonprofits. 

Carolina Clear
Carolina Clear is a stormwater education and awareness program of the Clemson University Restoration Institute and the Center for Watershed Excellence. The program’s goal is to minimize polluted stormwater runoff by educating the general public, youth, builders, developers, homeowners and government officials about how they can keep water in the state’s streams, rivers and basins as clean as possible.