Video

$tretching your Green Infrastructure Dollars: Case studies in maintenance costs and Level of Service. Case studies from two communities will be presented by different speakers.  Over the last 20 years, the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan has built 124 rain gardens and bio-swales in public spaces. Although rain gardens have been successful at reducing pollutant loads, our 30 acres of green stormwater infrastructure created a new challenge: maintenance. In 2015, the City of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office collaborated to formalize the maintenance of the 124 rain gardens. Maintenance schedules and expenditures for each rain garden have been implemented and refined over the last three years. Three case studies will be highlighted showing varied plant designs, spillways and public support. For each case study, a multi-pronged approach has proven successful in implementing the maintenance plan. The variety of rain gardens installed in Ann Arbor have provided the opportunity to learn many lessons and rules of thumb for design. Recommendations for designs that can simplify maintenance, focusing on plant selection, spillway design, size considerations and public involvement will be detailed. The lessons learned from maintenance in Ann Arbor’s rain gardens can be used to improve designs, create realistic budgets and foster positive partnerships.