Lawn Out, Rain Garden In for Mamaroneck Mayor

by Julia Steinmetz

(May 1, 2008) Instead of keeping her grass covered yard, Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Kathy Savolt took the unusual step of removing the turf and planting a rain garden instead. That was in December of 2006. This spring she is looking forward to seeing the flowers, grasses, shrubs, and other plantings mature in their second full season to cover what used to be nothing but lawn.

The gardens installed at the Savolts home in Mamaroneck Village keeps storm water from running uncontrolled into the basement and sewers.

“I wanted to put my money where my mouth was,” said Mayor Savolt. She was working in environmental education at the time and felt that she should put into practice what she was teaching others to do. “Living so close to an environmentally sensitive area and having the storm drain right in front of the property, I wanted to stop fertilizer and other chemicals from washing into Guion Creek,” she continued, “On a practical note, we needed to address a damp basement.”

She pictured mature trees and woodland paths circling the house, and to achieve her vision she enlisted the help of Christopher Cohan, a Rye-based landscape architect and former parks commissioner in Stamford, Connecticut.

Mr. Cohan said he “wanted to catch all the water and retain it on the property.” First he removed the overgrown shrubs from around the house and took out the lawn. The house sits on a rather steep hill with the backyard considerably higher than the front, so underground pipes were installed to divert water away from the house and towards the impressions that would catch the runoff and allow it to seep slowly into the soil. Over the pipes, the yard was graded to enhance the effect and keep water flowing downhill and around the house. The front yard has undulations and depressions that channel rain water into places where it can collect and return into the soil.

The first major test of the new system was the storm that caused major flooding in Mamaroneck and Larchmont in April 2007. Although some water came into the basement, the Savolts had less water damage than other neighbors who live higher up on the hill. With a normal amount of rain, approximately 90% of all storm water is handled by the rain garden in the front yard, and the formerly damp basement now stays dry.

An impressive number and array of plants were planted all over the property, including cinnamon ferns, blueberry bushes, irises, and prairie dropseed, a type of native grass. Plantings were chosen for their suitability to the expected moisture and light they would receive and are deer-resistant. Also, native plant species are less likely to be affected by pests and are often drought resistant. “The plants needed some watering to become established, but shouldn’t need much once they have fully grown in,” reported Mayor Savolt. “I love irises and this way I get a whole front yard full,” she said. In times of drought the rain garden will help to conserve water. So far comments from neighbors and passersby have been only positive.

Rain gardens can work for a variety of lawns and in many different sizes, from the total-lawn approach to smaller ornamental beds, and can be an important step in limiting runoff, which has been cited by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a major source of pollution to waterways and oceans. During Green Week, adults and children volunteered in the development of rain gardens for Larchmont’s Kane Park. See: Rain Garden Takes Root During Green Week for a description of the Kane Park garden and for advice on installing residential rain gardens.

Julia Steinmetz volunteers with the Village of Larchmont's Committee on the Environment.

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