Rain garden to be built at Monmouth U. campus Rain garden will help water quality and landscaping BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer In an effort to clean up local waterways, theMonmouth University chapter of New Jersey Community Water Watch is expected to begin construction on a natural water filtration system this month. Above: Members of the Monmouth University chapter of New Jersey Community Water Watch work on the construction of a rain garden on the West Long Branch campus. Below: Chapter adviser Katie Feeney (center) stands with a group of fellow Water Watch volunteers at the future site. The filtration system, known as a rain garden, "is a simple garden that is dug deep into the earth in order to filter out pollutants from the water and soil," Monmouth University student Jamie Kinard explained. A rain garden will be constructed on the West Long Branch campus near the university's athletic field complex and is being funded through grants and donations from various nurseries, according to Kinard. The rain garden will help reduce the amount of puddles and sediment that gather near the surrounding fields, Kinard said. She added that the reduction of sediment from the athletic fields will help to improve the water quality of the Whale Pond Brook, which runs parallel to the university's property. The rain garden will be constructed by Water Watch members and student volunteers. "As of now, we have four volunteers assigned to the project, andmost ofWaterWatch will be helping as well," Kinard said. The university's rain garden will be approximately 95 feet long by 21 feet wide and it will have a 4-foot path running through the middle. Kinard explained that the rain garden will help improve the water quality of local waterways as well as the landscaping in the community. A rain garden is simple to construct and can be built in most areas, including in people's backyards, Kinard said. To build a rain garden, first a site must be chosen and then it is excavated. Native vegetation and plants often found near waterways are then planted at the site. "When it rains, water filters down into the garden," Kinard said. "From there, the plants naturally filter out pollutants and other toxic substances that are contained in the water. "In time, the water from the area will become cleaner and local waterways can heal themselves," she said. The concept for the university's rain garden came from a similar project built at the Freehold Township agricultural building, according to Kinard. "Notmany schools have them," Kinard said. "Our garden ismeant as a demonstrative rain garden to show people how easy it is to help the environment." Kinard, a freshman at Monmouth University, said that she joined the 15-member Monmouth University WaterWatch chapter at the start of the last academic semester. "Katie Feeney [the Water Watch adviser] came to our ecology class to present the idea ofWaterWatch," Kinard said. "I filled out the card and she called me. From there, I discovered that I had a passion for helping to save the environment." Kinard explained that she feels that the majority of students are not proactive enough in helping the environment. "I feel that there is only a small group that does care, but that group is highly motivated," Kinard said. "There are not that many of us, but once people see the kind of abuses that are happening to nature, many people will change their minds." Water Watch was founded in 1994 and is a joint programbetweenAmeriCorps and the NJPIRG (New Jersey Public Interest Research Group) Law and Policy Center. "One of [Water Watch's] main objectives is to educate people about poor water quality and about how people can contribute to saving the water," Kinard said. "We go to different schools and run programs," she said, adding, "For example, we went to an Environmental Night in Red Bank and had a mini fair there.We also set up programs in local schools.We go and teach lessons to different classes." In addition to the rain garden, Water Watch frequently conducts river and streamcleanups, where trash and other pollutants are removed from waterways in the state. Since its inception, Water Watch has removed approximately 797 tons of trash from waterways in the state. This year alone, the Monmouth University Water Watch chapter has participated in events such as a cleanup of Lake Takanassee, a beach sweep at Pier Village and an Earth Day cleanup, Kinard explained The group also regularly calls on local politicians to participate in events to draw public attention to the Water Watch cause.