INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Aug. 19, 2010) — Firestone Specialty Products Co. L.L.C. (FSSP) recently partnered with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc., Schmidt Associates and the Athenaeum Foundation to build an environmentally friendly rain garden to retain and filter storm water.
According to FSSP, a common problem in the U.S. is a lack of efficient and sanitary storm water drainage systems. Firestone donated a 45 mil PondGard Rubber Liner, a single-ply synthetic rubber waterproofing membrane, to help create the garden, which is located outside the Athenaeum Foundation building in downtown Indianapolis.
“Mother Nature has a phenomenal way of cleaning up her surroundings, but she can only do so much,” said Paul Oliveira, specialty products systems manager for FSSP. “We wanted to construct the rain garden as a demonstration of how we can assist and encourage a natural process.”
Craig Flandermeyer, a landscape architect from Schmidt Associates designed the garden, which features downspouts positioned to collect rainwater and feed it into a storm water collection area. Firestone's rubber waterproofing membrane was installed to make the area watertight, followed by gravel and a filter liner to improve drainage. Plants in the garden serve as natural filters, soaking up polluted rainwater that collects in the basin.