Environmental :: Grand Marais Rain Garden Project

SAS+Associates in conjunction with the Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District reviewed three different sites in Grand Marais for the creation of raingardens for the treatment of storm water. Two of the sites are adjoining private residential properties with the third site being located adjacent to the Cook County High School.

The goal of the raingarden installations is to not only treat storm water but to also serve as an educational tool for residents to experience and hopefully emulate. The two residential scale raingardens are located on the city right of way as well as private property. The individual property owners were part of the design process and will ultimately be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the raingardens.

Knowing this, each design reflects the gardening styles of the individual owner, with one of the sites having a limited palette of plant material and the other having a wider range of native species. In both cases, the plant material was selected to best succeed in this northern climate.  SAS is completed the construction documents for two of the selected sites in 2011 and the work was completed in 2012.