Stormwater Retrofit at Mt. Tabor Middle School: Lessons Learned about Designing Landscape Systems at Schools

School sites are major local sources of runoff, with the potential to create sewer capacity problems and to have a negative impact on the health of rivers and streams. They also provide some of the best opportunities for stormwater retrofitting as far as layout and available space. Given the overall imperviousness of many school yards, planters and swales can do more than just meet stormwater management goals; they can provide visual amenities and improve the overall environment at schools. The stormwater project at Mt. Tabor Middle School, completed in 2007, is a valuable example of the opportunities and challenges associated with retrofitting schools with stormwater facilities, particularly vegetated facilities. The project added a range of facility types to the school grounds, with numerous "firsts" in integrating attractive open-air facilities with existing infrastructure and site uses. The facilities include a 186 m² "rain garden", a large swale, six planters, three drywells, and a stormwater curb extension in the street next to the school. The rain garden received a 2007 design award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Lessons learned range from the complexity of developing plan sets for custom vegetated facilities to specific geotechnical and construction issues.