Complete Aquatics Installs a 1250 gallon Rain Harvest System at a Grade School near Collegeville, PA
Royersford, Pennsylvania – As part of an educational seminar for landscape professionals, Complete Aquatics, LLC installed a 1,250-gallon SustainRain® Rain Harvest system in the courtyard of the Spring-Ford Intermediate School in Royersford, PA. The project was made possible by a grant for the school from Pennsylvania American Water and the support of Senn Landscaping, a local contractor from Eagle, PA. The purpose of the event was to give professionals hands-on training in designing and constructing rainwater management structures into the landscape. The SustainRain® Rain Harvest System at Spring-Ford Intermediate will be used to maintain an ornamental pond and vegetable garden also on-site.
The morning began with a brief lecture-style discussion about the interaction of rainwater with the landscape. Joel Kammeraad of Complete Aquatics led the discussion. “Education is our main goal,” he reported. “The management and conservation of rainwater is becoming an integral part of land development. We want to help landscape and construction professionals get on the leading edge of efficient and reliable methods of handling rainwater.”
Following this discussion, the group took to the school grounds. Using the SustainRain® System, they installed a 1,250 gallon reservoir into the ground. The system will capture rainwater from a downspout from the school’s roof, filter it through a SustainRain® Filter basin and store it in the underground reservoir. Overtop the reservoir the group laid a permeable paver patio with three core-drilled bubbling rocks. The bubbling rocks spill right onto the patio, which drains into the reservoir, keeping the water circulated and giving the appearance of a disappearing spring.
Dacia Williams, the math & science teacher in charge of the environmental education facilities, explains how the project came together. “The school administration said we couldn’t use an auto-fill system on our pond. In the hot summer the pond needs filled daily, but no one is at the school to fill it. So I asked Steve Senn, who helped install the pond, what we could do. He suggested we hook the auto-fill to a rain harvest system and we applied for funding from Pennsylvania American Water.
“Now, not only will we be able to keep the pond topped off, but we have a renewable source of water for the kids’ vegetable garden and new usable space in the courtyard,” she said indicating to the permeable patio and bubbling rocks. “Both the pond & garden are used in the science and environmental education programs here and the students are actively engaged in caring for and using them. The rain harvest system will also provide a teaching tool when discussing resource conservation with students.”
Complete Aquatics, LLC is a water garden and water conservation distributor that focuses on support and education for the green industry. Steven Senn of Senn Landscaping is a landscape contractor from Eagle, PA and has directed seven community pond-builds for the school district on their various campuses. “I’ve put in seven ponds for these guys,” Steve says. “The kids, parents, teachers and administrators love them, and they’ve generated some pond jobs for my business, as well.”
For inquiries or comments: Joel Kammeraad jkammeraad@completeaquatics.com Complete Aquatics, LLC 68 H&S Drive Selinsgrove, PA 17870 888-743-6688
