On the morning of Sunday, August 7th, volunteers gathered at Cooley Park on the northwest side of town hall to help dig and plant a rain garden, an arrangement of plants meant to help direct and contain stormwater runoff. Using highly hydroponic plants alongside an array of stones and bark mulch layered into a basin-shaped area, the garden will help to mitigate erosion in Cooley Park, and stop water runoff onto Main Street. Furthermore, the design incorporates a flexible, perforated downspout to funnel rainwater off of town hall and deposit it over a large area, as opposed to the rigid, green downspout installed in the building in 2018, which directs all the water to a single point on the hill. This point has suffered extreme erosion from this design, visible even from the road below.

For a full description of this project and lots more pictures,  CLICK HERE.

In time, this garden will hopefully be the first step to a path of remediation for Cooley Park, and other parts of Wilton in need of natural renovations. Green infrastructure like this rain garden makes it easier for the environment around it to survive, thrive, and become beautiful. Given the intense heat wave that plagued the town over the course of this project, it is clearly in need of infrastructure dedicated to making sure the natural beauty of Wilton is preserved.