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Jennifer Welch, CPESC, is an Urban Conservationist for the Urban Resources and Borderland Alliance Network. URBAN includes six central Iowa Soil and Water Conservation Districts including Dallas, Madison, Marion, Polk, Story, and Warren Counties and is dedicated to improving water quality through promotion of innovations in stormwater management, erosion control, and new design concepts. Jennifer has organized and conducted numerous workshops on stormwater and water quality issues and is working with communities on low impact development strategies and construction site BMP's. Numerous professionals have become certified professionals in erosion and sediment control (CPESC) as a result of her training programs.
Jennifer has been providing education on green infrastructure and low impact development techniques. These practices utilize the ability of the natural system to manage, store, and cleanse storm water runoff that would otherwise pollute our rivers and lakes as they collect debris from paved surfaces.
Stormwater, in traditionally designed communities, acts like a street cleaner, carrying chemicals, oil, debris and eroded soil with it through the storm drains to the nearest water source. Rain gardens provide a 'green' alternative to capture and retain the rain water in the landscape.
Rain gardens are areas in yards, lawns, or along parking lots, roads, and in corporate campuses that utilize plants and soils to infiltrate water into the groundwater system. Rain garden plants also transpirate rainfall back into the atmosphere instead of polluting surface water. They provide gardeners with a unique opportunity to use plants that enjoy wetter conditions while improving water quality simultaneously.
The presentation will provide a complete picture of rain gardens and their benefits. Examples of rain gardens and 'start to finish' illustrations will provide members of the Water Garden Association with a clearer understanding of how rain gardens can be incorporated into a variety of landscapes in Iowa.