Opening the Rain Garden

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
OPENING THE RAIN GARDEN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, earlier today the Architect of the Capitol and I had the opportunity to participate in the ribbon cutting for a small, but important project on the Senate side of the Capitol.

At my request, the Architect and his staff built a demonstration rain garden, also known as a low impact drainage project, last month just outside of parking lot 16 at the corner of First and D Streets, Northeast. A rain garden captures and filters runoff from parking lots to reduce stormwater flooding and keep pollutants from entering local streams and rivers.

In the case of the Senate's rain garden, oil, gas, brake fluid, and other toxic substances from automobiles are filtered though a garden that measures 18 ft x 65 ft x 5 ft just outside of the Lot 16 fence. The garden, which is a very attractive addition to the landscaping here on Capitol Hill, is not flat; it is built on an angle to pull runoff into it. The water is filtered through rocks and a coarse mix of soil. The soil is 50 percent sand, 30 percent topsoil, and 20 percent organic materials, such as composted leaf mulch. The annual and perennial plants in the rain garden were selected by the Landscape Architect due to their ability to withstand periods of heavy saturation, drought, and also their ability to thrive in an environment that occasionally includes a steady diet of pollutants.

Once the water is filtered, it is discharged into the existing stormwater sewer system which, during periods of heavy rainfall can discharge directly into the Anacostia River and, eventually, the Chesapeake Bay. However, the rain garden filters out as much as 90 percent of the pollutants that would otherwise go directly into the stormwater sewer. As it turns out, a rain garden is a simple, inexpensive, yet attractive solution to a very difficult problem in most urban areas.

While this rain garden will not solve all of the runoff problems on Capitol Hill, it will serve as a model that can be replicated throughout the Capitol complex. As Members of the Senate we represent all 50 States, but we must never forget that we have a responsibility to be thoughtful and caring stewards of our Nation's Capital.

Now that the rain garden project is complete, I extend my thanks to Doug Siglin of the Anacostia River Initiative for bringing the concept to my attention last year, to the Architect of the Capitol, for moving the project forward, and to Ecosite, the Maryland-based contractor, that did the physical construction work on the project.

However, special thanks are reserved for the two people most responsible for making this project a reality, Nancy Olkewicz, who works for the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, and Matthew Evans, the Landscape Architect of the Capitol.

Matthew brought his great vision and gentle determination to bear on this project and it shows in the way the rain garden blends seamlessly into the overall Capitol Hill landscape plan. He has been pleasant and responsive throughout this entire process and I appreciate his hard work.

I asked Nancy to investigate whether a demonstration rain garden could be built on Capitol Hill given all of the restrictions and rules that govern everything that takes place within the Capitol complex. Nancy took my request and ran with it. In large part, the rain garden is a product of her determination and doggedness in seeing it through to completion. I have great admiration for such perseverance and appreciate all that she does for me and the Senate, which she has made her professional home for 25 years.

The Senate rain garden was completed on time and under budget and will undoubtedly contribute to a cleaner environment on Capitol Hill and throughout the region. I am pleased to have played a small role in its development.