Using demonstration sites for Extension outreach: Making a splash with Green Stormwater Infrastructure practices

By Martin Wunderly
Area Water Agent, University of Georgia

Sometimes classroom learning just doesn't compare to the great outdoors. But in Extension, finding a site for teaching programs hands-on can be complicated. Conducting field days on site to demonstrate working examples usually requires cooperation with a private land owner. Space for displaying practices on university or local government land might not be available, or does not fit an existing land management plan. If there is space and labor available, whether through grant funding, donations, or volunteer hours, a physical demonstration of practices can really make an impression on audiences. Some of the most common demonstration sites used in Extension are pollinator gardens and native plants. Not everything we teach can be represented in a demonstration site, but maybe thinking ?outside of the box? is necessary for promoting best practices in natural resource management.
 
Photo 1 (by Rich Braman): A ground breaking ceremony was held at the demonstration site in November 2024, quite literally!
The UGA Center for Urban Agriculture is installing a green stormwater infrastructure demonstration site at the UGA Griffin Research and Education Gardens in Griffin, GA. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is an alternative approach to stormwater control that reduces rainfall runoff from urban and suburban landscapes. GSI promotes rainwater infiltration into engineered soil and stone media to prevent soil erosion and water pollution. The demonstration site will serve as a training tool for the landscape industry, homeowners, municipal managers, and UGA Extension agents and volunteers. There will be workshops, lectures, and a self-guided tour available at the site. Accompanying online publications detailing installation and design advice for each practice will be available for clients statewide. The components include the following GSI practices: Green Roof Display, Rain Barrels, Pervious Paver Block, Grass and Gravel Grids, French Drain, Bioswale, Rain Garden, Cistern, and a Dry Well. Training workshops for the landscape industry will help them learn how to incorporate GSI practices into their customer services. UGA Extension faculty and volunteers can also deliver the online education materials to their clients across Georgia, expanding the reach of this program.

Residential and commercial development continues to increase in our urbanized counties. This results in an increase in impervious surfaces and greater stormwater flow into local rivers and lakes. The Fourth National Climate Assessment predicts rainfall in the southeast U.S. will occur in intense heavy precipitation events that are expected to increase in frequency over the coming century. Such rainfall patterns will increase stormwater flow and pollution problems, indicating a need for more implementation of stormwater control measures in the landscape. A green stormwater infrastructure training program and demonstration site for landscapers and homeowners will help encourage installation of these stormwater control measures, resulting in less stormwater pollution entering surface waters. Incorporating these practices will also help reduce flood damage in urban areas and reduce irrigation demands in managed landscapes.

The demonstration site for GSI is funded by a federal Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Implementation Grant from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, with additional support
Photo 2 (by Luis Moreno): A pervious grid system installed alongside driveway pavement will improve stormwater infiltration at the Research Gardens.The grid is on a bed of stone 12 inches deep and will display turfgrass and stone filled options that can both take the weight of inadvertent vehicle traffic.
from the University of Georgia Griffin Campus and University of Georgia Structural Pest Management Program. Local landscape companies were contracted to complete the installation. Moreno Landscape specializes in residential and commercial projects, including drainage engineering, and Grandiflora Botanical Company is installing the rain garden and bioswale plants.