Pacific Grove Natural History Museum
As part of the RainScape Rebate Program, a front corner planter area at the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum was redesigned to incorporate a demonstration of low impact development landscapes. There was an opportunity to tell a story about how a raindrop travels from the sky, on the museum rooftop, through the landscape, into underground stormwater pipes, and eventually to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Museum roof downspouts were disconnected routed to a flow-through planter and rain garden. The flow-through planter accepts water from the downspout which then slows and cleans the water with a combination of bio-retention soil mix and plant root systems. When the water level reaches capacity in the planter, it flows into a created rain garden. The rain garden is a depressed and planted landscape feature, which accepts roof rainwater from the adjacent flow-through planter. Overflow will be routed to an adjacent storm drain.
With the help of adding organic compost amendment to the rain garden and mulch later, more stormwater is retained. In addition, only California Coastal plants were planted which are beneficial for habitat and pollinating species.
