St. Paul’s
Rain Garden Project

A July Update from St. Paul’s Green Team - Exciting News!

On July 1st, the City of Raleigh formally approved our Rain Water Rewards Project Contract. This approval entitles the church to $23,455 in reimbursement of funds for this $33,000 project. Once we can raise our part of the project costs, the contractor can start work on the project on August 15th. Now we have to get busy raising our part of the project costs: $9,625. We have raised almost $1,700 so far, but we need a little more than $7,900 to fund the project. We have 6 weeks to do it!

Over the next 6 Sundays, we will track our progress as we "Fill Our Rain Barrel" - so artfully designed by our own Jackie Deaton to show the two rain gardens and the cistern that are the heart of this project. Checks can be made to SPCC with "Green Team" or "Rain Garden" in the memo line. Donations can also be made through Simple Church and designated to the Green Team Fund.

This project will make our campus safer and more beautiful. It will provide a long term no-cost water supply for our gardens. And it will also help protect our environment for providing natural filtration of storm water before it reaches our creeks and waterways. We appreciate your support! If you have questions, contact our Green Team leader, Cathy Cralle Jones at crallejones@bellsouth.net.

• One half of the roof will be directed to the West RG via trenched piping connected directly to existing roof downspouts. 

• Runoff from the sidewalk of the building will also sheet flow into West RG. The other half of the roof runoff will be directed to the cistern via dry conveyance connected to existing downspouts.

• The cistern overflow will be directed into East RG. Runoff from the parking lot will be directed into the East RG.

The project will include minor grading and excavation of the rain gardens, inlet connections, underdrains and cistern base. Minor plumbing is required for connecting cistern and pump and some electrical work will be required to create an external power connection on the building for the pump.

Click here to view a copy of St. Paul’s application for the City of Raleigh’s Rainwater Rewards Program.

Why is this a priority for St. Paul’s Green Team?

• The site currently experiences flooding issues along the lower end of the Brown building and limits access to the Brown Basement for members and visitors. The hillside along the building also has erosive gullies due to large amounts of undirected runoff coming down the hill from the building and parking lot. The rain gardens and cistern will mitigate these flooding and erosion issues by collecting water in more desirable areas and more slowly releasing it to the existing landscape and to the nearby community gardens.

• The rain gardens should also reduce the concentrations of sediment and particles in runoff from the property into the Crabtree Creek watershed by filtering collected runoff through rain garden media and by redirecting runoff from its original erosive pathway to instead be captured by the rain gardens and cistern. The rain gardens will be planted with diverse, native species which will help provide nutrient removal from runoff.

• In general, all three stormwater controls will reduce the volume of water leaving the property as runoff, thus reducing pollutant loading in the watershed. The system is estimate to reduce Total Suspended Solids (24.40 lb/yr) and Total Nitrogen (1.26 lb/yr)

project Budget: 

Project Design and Construction Costs     $31,273

Includes design, grading, plantings, mulch, soil media, plumbing, stone and concrete footers, pump, and labor

Less City of Raleigh Rainwater Reward (75%) ($23, 455)
Raleigh Rainwater Rewards Presentation: April 22

Project Cost to St. Paul’s   $7,818

Cistern Mural Project       $600 
Includes design, design outline, paints, and artist supervision of volunteers.
References: https://designsbyarianne.com/murals

Peace Pole     $100
Includes 6x6”x8’ treated post + solar light cap. Can use paint from Cistern Mural.  Assumes volunteer design and painting. “May Peace Prevail” in 4 languages, including English and Jarai.
References: www.worldpeace.org/peacepoleproject/ and https://peace-pole.com/clickable-translations/

Miscellaneous   $232
Includes printing, community meeting refreshments

Subtotal $8,750

Pay It Forward (10%) $875

TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET $9,625