JUNE 2026

WATER PAGES eNEWSLETTER

A True Community Effort for the Boys & Girls Club of Paulsboro

The Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program has been busy with the installation of a rain garden at the Boys & Girls Club of Paulsboro in Paulsboro, New Jersey, located in Gloucester County. The 470-square-foot rain garden was constructed on the north side of the building and is designed to capture, filter, and treat stormwater runoff from approximately 1,755 square feet of rooftop. The project is expected to manage approximately 42,754 gallons of stormwater runoff annually, helping to reduce localized flooding, improve water quality, and promote groundwater recharge. The installation was a true community effort. Local volunteers and high school students came together to plant more than 300 native plants in just 80 minutes for an impressive accomplishment!

Rain garden construction

Rain garden planting

[Photo credit: Randi Rothmel, Association of Environmental Commissions (ANJEC)]

Spring Maintenance with Albrook School

On Friday, June 5^th, students at Albrook School participated in a hands-on lesson focused on maintaining the rain garden installed on campus last year. Despite the hot weather, students worked throughout the garden removing litter, clearing accumulated leaves, and learning how to identify and properly pull weeds. They also helped replace plants that did not survive the winter season with new vegetation. To complete the maintenance activities, the existing mulch was refreshed by removing old material and spreading a new layer throughout the garden.

Albrook School’s rain garden with spring maintenance completed

Albrook School’s students planting new native plants in their rain garden

Rain Garden Cleanup with DeMasi Elementary

On Wednesday, June 10^th, fifth grade students at DeMasi Elementary School helped freshen up their rain garden installed last July. They helped remove invasive plants, clean up debris, and lay a fresh layer of mulch. Students learned how a thick layer of mulch helps the native plants retain moisture and works to prevent weed growth. At the end of the day, the classroom had a manicured garden they could tell their peers about!

Students helping spread mulch

in the garden

Engineer Benny proud of the student’s hard work

DeMasi Schools’ rain garden after spring maintenance

Engaging Green Infrastructure Champions in Monmouth County

Recently, eleven Green Infrastructure Champions from Monmouth County gathered for a lively discussion complemented by delicious Jersey pizza. The purpose of this meeting was to gather input from these certified Champions on how to better engage and empower them. Currently, there are over 1,000 certified Green Infrastructure Champions!

Six months ago, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) Water Resources Program initiated conversations regarding the post-certification engagement of these Champions. A key question emerged: how can we mobilize these 1,000+ individuals to support their communities in implementing green infrastructure?

To gauge interest in regional collaboration, we conducted several surveys, though the response rate was not as high as hoped. While surveys can be tedious, they are essential for providing direction. They allow us to better understand the needs of the Champions. We also sought to identify individuals willing to take on leadership roles in regional efforts. Many Champions expressed an interest in engaging at the county level, with some even willing to co-lead county collaborations.

Having previously offered workshops in Monmouth County to teach Champions how to design homeowner rain gardens, we decided to convene certified Champions at the RCE Monmouth County Office in Freehold. As food is always a priority for us, we enjoyed a lunch of abundant pizza while discussing various topics, including how to engage the Department of Public Works, better utilize the demonstration rain garden at our office, and enhance collaboration with churches and other religious institutions.

A significant portion of our discussion focused on homeowner rain gardens. Champions felt they had gained valuable knowledge from the class on designing and building rain gardens, but they expressed a desire for more hands-on opportunities. They wanted to actively participate in building rain gardens to gain practical experience. Last year, as part of our training program in Long Branch, we constructed a homeowner rain garden, and those involved reported that this experience provided the confidence needed to undertake similar projects independently.

Here is what we are going to be doing to continue to engage Green Infrastructure Champions:

• Develop a communication platform on WhatsApp to keep certified Green Infrastructure Champions connected and informed
• Provide hands-on opportunities; certified Green Infrastructure Champions will have the opportunity to join the RCE Water Resources Program professional staff to:

-conduct inspections of project sites to identify appropriate locations for green infrastructure

-build rain gardens

-inspect existing rain gardens and upload results to the rain garden database

• Conduct group sessions to teach Champions how to do homeowner rain garden designs
• Engage religious organizations such as churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, etc.
• Establish an online location for all Green Infrastructure Champion resources

Keep your eyes open for all these wonderful things to come to fruition!

~ Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E., Extension Specialist in Water Resources