Holloway Ponds Homeowners Association
DRG helped Holloway Ponds HOA install an environmentally-sustainable alternative to traditional landscaping through a series of rain gardens. DRG’s design plan was developed to eliminate turf, reduce stormwater runoff from the adjacent road, and support a variety of pollinator species.
Project Narrative:
Holloway Ponds Homeowner’s Association (HOA) was seeking to install an environmentally-sustainable alternative to traditional landscaping and contacted Davey Resource Group (DRG) to design and install a series of raingardens. DRG’s design plan was developed to eliminate turf, reduce stormwater runoff from the adjacent road, and support a variety of pollinator species.
At the beginning of this project, soil borings indicated clay soils were present on site. Therefore, in addition to amended soil, DRG installed a number of sand columns approximately nine feet deep to increase infiltration in the raingarden basins.
In total, four separate basins were installed, three of which incorporated PVC underdrain pipe with cleanouts and gate valves. Three new curb-cut inlets were also installed to capture runoff from the street. The entire project created approximately 3,200 square feet of new raingarden for stormwater management. In order to make this installation both functional and aesthetically attractive, DRG installed 160 linear feet of natural Chilton stone wall, accented by two natural flagstone check dams between three separate basins in the main raingarden to increase aesthetic appeal and formalize the new native plantings. Five additional river birch trees were also incorporated into the design to increase residents’ privacy along the main road.
Clearing The Way For Sustainability
In addition to the raingarden installation, DRG has provided woody invasive species removal services for buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) on two acres of HOA property along with continued maintenance services for the raingardens and a native pond buffer. Maintenance services included best management practices (BMP) inspection reports, trash and sediment removal, mulch replenishment, vegetation management, invasive species control, erosion repair, and plant replacement.