Video Story - Lewes Rain Garden

The latest landscaping effort at the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes isn’t just easy on the eyes. It’s a demonstration rain garden — a shallow depression in the landscape designed to collect and clean stormwater runoff.

“A rain garden is a way for us — whether university, a business, or a homeowner — to take personal responsibility,” said one of the garden’s creators, Joe Farrell, resources management specialist with the Delaware Sea Grant College Program.

The rain garden, which contains plants native to southern Delaware, helps to remove pollutants from stormwater as it drains off of a large parking lot on the campus. By filtering the runoff, the garden keeps contaminants out of nearby streams, bays, and the Atlantic Ocean, ultimately providing healthier waterways for wildlife and people.

In addition to helping the environment, the project will serve as a demonstration site for anyone wanting to learn more about rain gardens.