Water Quality Initiative for Waveland Park Neighborhood
2015
About
Grant award
$50,000
Total project
$115,179
Description
The Waveland Park Neighborhood Association (WPNA), in partnership with the City of Des Moines, will implement stormwater management practices throughout the Waveland Park neighborhood to include a bioswale at Roosevelt High School, a bioswale at Glendale Cemetery, and a neighborhood rain garden to be located at the corner of 46th Street and Forest Avenue. The identified stormwater practices are part of a stormwater management master plan already developed by the City of Des Moines to address runoff issues at Waveland Golf Course and Glendale Cemetery. The master plan creates a comprehensive solution to persistent runoff problems in the entire watershed instead of focusing solely on issues at the golf course and cemetery. Waveland Park is one of the most densely developed neighborhoods in the state of Iowa and assistance from the Urban Conservation Projects grant will help the neighborhood reach sustainability goals into the future.
The stormwater management master plan is the impetus of an overall project that the WPNA will take on called “Green Wave.” Green Wave will work with residents throughout the neighborhood to educate them on stormwater management practices and help them implement various strategies. Demonstration projects for this grant have been identified at critical areas in the neighborhood watershed. A bioswale at Roosevelt High School, a bioswale at Glendale Cemetery, and a neighborhood
rain garden will slow and filter first flush rain and will educate area residents about the importance of treating rainwater where it falls. Through signage and coordinated field days, residents from the neighborhood, high school students at Roosevelt, and other community residents will learn about the plant species used in the gardens as well as how they can replicate the system at their own homes. The
WPNA has a goal of being a model for other neighborhoods in the city.
As mentioned, Green Wave is a result of the larger stormwater management plan for Glendale Cemetery and Waveland Golf Course. The Waveland Park neighborhood, while densely developed, is also fortunate to have the largest area of green space of any Des Moines neighborhood. This island of green in an urban area is used by residents as a kind of park. The highly walkable neighborhood sees residents out with their dogs, sledding down the large hills at the golf course, and admiring the large trees in the cemetery. The neighbors in Waveland Park want to take care of their green space and address the larger issues at hand. By helping lead this effort to educate neighbors and install best management practices in the neighborhood, the WNPA will be participating in the implementation of the overall plan to improve water quality within the cemetery, golf course, and the Walnut Creek/Raccoon River watersheds.
Conservation Practices
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