For this pilot project, Bayer and the design team made an early commitment to create a highly functional rain garden utilizing the existing soil profile instead of imported material.

With the success of this installation, and continual monitoring, this strategy may be utilized throughout the 500-acre campus to further reduce overall stress on an aging stormwater infrastructure network, all while minimizing soil disturbance. 

An initial subsurface analysis determined the native soils were capable of delivering infiltration rates exceeding the performance criteria regulated for constructed rain gardens. By utilizing on-site soils, the design team was able to reduce construction costs significantly while fully achieving the project’s sustainability goals.  The design employs locally-sourced stone in dry creek beds to direct runoff from a 3,500 square foot roof into a 1,600 square foot bioretention basin. Overall, this project converts 17,500 square feet of manicured lawn into native plantings. 

Moving forward, monitoring of infiltration rates and plant health as a case-study will inform future efforts to utilize low-impact construction methods. The long term vision of this initial project is to understand potential alternatives to material-intensive practices in hopes of improving outcomes and expanding utilization of stormwater management.