Fort Wayne, Ind. -- Rain gardens around the City of Fort Wayne will soon be easier to spot thanks to a grant of $18,750 from Wells Fargo.
As part of a commitment to improve river water quality, Fort Wayne is helping to install 20 demonstration rain gardens at public locations around the community. The grant from Wells Fargo will pay for interpretive signs placed at the rain garden locations. The signs will help inform residents about the impacts of urban storm water and how the quality storm water runoff can be improved by rain gardens before it gets into streams and rivers.
"We want to draw attention to this innovative approach to improving water quality in our rivers," said Mayor Tom Henry. "But signs just weren't in the budget. We appreciate the commitment that Wells Fargo has made to our community both in terms of growing here and helping us bring attention to water quality."
"It's rewarding for our team to work with Fort Wayne City Utilities on a project that is consistent with Wells Fargo's commitment to environmental stewardship," said Andy Veenstra, Community Banking President for Wells Fargo in Fort Wayne. "Water quality is an important issue for our community, and promoting environmental awareness is a priority for Wells Fargo. We're proud to be part of this signage project."
Rain gardens are landscaped areas that collect storm water runoff from a source such as a downspout, parking lot or other hard surface. Water collects in the garden and remains there for several hours until it can soak into the ground. The gardens are planted with native perennial flowers and grasses to create beauty and a habitat for native songbirds and insects that help to pollinate other plants.
Residents who walk by the signs will be able to learn more about how rain gardens help to control rain water runoff where it falls, using a system that mimics nature in an undisturbed state.
The signs will also direct residents to the City's rain garden program website at www.catchingrainfw.org , where they can find dates and locations for residential rain garden workshops to be held beginning in March.
Demonstration rain gardens are located at the following locations:
Irwin Elementary School
Weisser Park Elementary School
Price Elementary School (2012 construction)
Lakeside Middle School
Northwood Middle School
Croninger Elementary School (2012 construction)
Blackhawk Middle School (2012 construction)
Northrop High School
University of Saint Francis
Science Central
Karpeles Document Museum
Blackhawk Christian School (2012 construction)
Citizens Square
Fort Wayne Water Pollution Control Maintenance
Imagine School (2012 construction)
Bunche Montessori School (2012 construction)
Kreager Park
Maplewood Mennonite Church (2012 construction)
Parnell Avenue
Pontiac Street
Fort Wayne will be working with owners of each site to determine which of several sign designs the owners prefer.
Other facets of Fort Wayne's rain garden program are incentives for Fort Wayne homeowners who install rain gardens and a classroom curriculum provided to area teachers through teacher training workshops.
Wells Fargo Community Banking in Indiana/Ohio contributed $6,250 to the rain garden project. The Wells Fargo Environmental Affairs group, in partnership with the Wells Fargo Foundation, provided a 2-to-1 matching grant of $12,500, for a total of $18,750.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo provides financial services from 37 stores in 21 Indiana and Ohio communities and employs more than 2,600 team members throughout the region. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 23 on Fortune's 2011 rankings of America's largest corporations. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy all our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially.
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