Willamette Christian Center
2500 W 18th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402
Thurs, Sept 14, 6 – 8 p.m.
We will be hosting a public project tour of the Trout Friendly Landscapes project at Willamette Christian Center in west Eugene on Thursday, September 14th. This joint project transformed a two acre asphalt parking lot, intercepting runoff with four 200’+ linear rain gardens, greatly increasing the size of the planting areas, and improving the existing soils – including the 20’ wide mound of soil that separates the site from 18th Ave. This is a fantastic opportunity to see these newly completed rain gardens, which treat over 79,000 square feet of parking area adjacent to W. 18th Ave. You’ll learn about how facilities like these they function to filter pollutants and reduce the temperature and quantity of stormwater reaching Amazon Creek, including insights into the design and construction process.
The Willamette Christian Center project is groundbreaking in several ways. This is the first urban project awarded with
funding from an Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board restoration & stewardship grant. Secondly, each facility has a separate soil mixture to test the efficacy of different types of biochar in storwmater management for plant health and paired inlet and outlet water quality, which is part of a monitoring project LTWC is piloting. Thirdly, this is also the first project to test the incorporation of biochar in a rain garden, courtesy of a partnership with the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC). Biochar is a porous carbon produced from low-temperature burning that improves soil structure, fixes carbon, and fosters microbes in the soil for improved pollutant uptake.
You’ll also hear briefly about the history of the Urban Waters & Wildlife Program and how the work is complementary to the City of Eugene’s stormwater efforts.
Speakers will include: Sarah Whitney and Miranda Hawkes (Long Tom Watershed Council), Houston Sheppard and Bill Randall (Willamette Christian Center), Therese Walch (City of Eugene), and Todd Miller (Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission).
Logistics:
- This tour is free and open to everyone.
- Light snacks and water will be provided.
- The tour will include both standing and walking; chairs will be provided for folks who may need them.
- There will be signage indicating where to park.
Questions? Lorette: lorette@longtom.org | 541-654-8965 x 101