Bioretention ‘rain garden’ program to be held Jan. 14 in Dallas

DALLAS – A program relating to bioretention areas, also referred to as rain gardens, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 17360 Coit Road in Dallas.

“Engineers from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and North Carolina State University Extension will explore the performance, design, construction, and maintenance of bioretention areas as a means of stormwater control for residential, industrial, commercial and institutional properties,” said David Waidler, a research assistant with Texas A&M AgriLife Research at the center.

Waidler said the workshop is offered at no-cost and begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. Presentations begin at 9:15 a.m. with an introduction to bioretention and on bioretention research being done at North Carolina State University by Dr. William Hunt, an extension specialist with the university.

At 11 a.m. Dr. Fouad Jaber, AgriLife Extension specialist at the center, will present on the topic of Texas A&M bioretention area research and outreach.

Lunch will be at noon, then an afternoon panel discussion at 1 p.m. This will be followed by a 1:30 p.m. presentation on bioretention case studies and a 2:30 p.m. presentation on maintaining bioretention areas.

At 3 p.m., attendees will participate in a field tour of Texas A&M AgriLife low-impact design studies at the center.

“Bioretention is a well-accepted method of urban stormwater control,” Waidler said. “We will show program attendees the rain garden we have constructed here at the center, as well as our other low-impact design studies which include green roofs, pervious pavement and a detention pond. We ask attendees to dress appropriately for the tour.”

The workshop is made possible through Clean Water Act  grant funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Continuing education units for engineers and a certificate of attendance are available. To register, go to http://dallas.tamu.edu/courses/2013/january-14,-2013-rain-garden/ or contact Waidler at 972-952-9689.

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