[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11602-11603]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        OPENING THE RAIN GARDEN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, earlier today the Architect of the Capitol 
and I had the opportunity to participate in the ribbon cutting for a 
small, but important project on the Senate side of the Capitol.
  At my request, the Architect and his staff built a demonstration rain 
garden, also known as a low impact drainage project, last month just 
outside of parking lot 16 at the corner of First and D Streets, 
Northeast. A rain garden captures and filters runoff from parking lots 
to reduce stormwater flooding and keep pollutants from entering local 
streams and rivers.
  In the case of the Senate's rain garden, oil, gas, brake fluid, and 
other toxic substances from automobiles are filtered though a garden 
that measures 18 ft x 65 ft x 5 ft just outside of the Lot 16 fence. 
The garden, which is a very attractive addition to the landscaping here 
on Capitol Hill, is not flat; it is built on an angle to pull runoff 
into it. The water is filtered through rocks and a coarse mix of soil. 
The soil is 50 percent sand, 30 percent topsoil, and 20 percent organic 
materials, such as composted leaf mulch. The annual and perennial 
plants in the rain garden were selected by the Landscape Architect due 
to their ability to withstand periods of heavy saturation, drought, and 
also their ability to thrive in an

[[Page 11603]]

environment that occasionally includes a steady diet of pollutants.
  Once the water is filtered, it is discharged into the existing 
stormwater sewer system which, during periods of heavy rainfall can 
discharge directly into the Anacostia River and, eventually, the 
Chesapeake Bay. However, the rain garden filters out as much as 90 
percent of the pollutants that would otherwise go directly into the 
stormwater sewer. As it turns out, a rain garden is a simple, 
inexpensive, yet attractive solution to a very difficult problem in 
most urban areas.
  While this rain garden will not solve all of the runoff problems on 
Capitol Hill, it will serve as a model that can be replicated 
throughout the Capitol complex. As Members of the Senate we represent 
all 50 States, but we must never forget that we have a responsibility 
to be thoughtful and caring stewards of our Nation's Capital.
  Now that the rain garden project is complete, I extend my thanks to 
Doug Siglin of the Anacostia River Initiative for bringing the concept 
to my attention last year, to the Architect of the Capitol, for moving 
the project forward, and to Ecosite, the Maryland-based contractor, 
that did the physical construction work on the project.
  However, special thanks are reserved for the two people most 
responsible for making this project a reality, Nancy Olkewicz, who 
works for the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, and 
Matthew Evans, the Landscape Architect of the Capitol.
  Matthew brought his great vision and gentle determination to bear on 
this project and it shows in the way the rain garden blends seamlessly 
into the overall Capitol Hill landscape plan. He has been pleasant and 
responsive throughout this entire process and I appreciate his hard 
work.
  I asked Nancy to investigate whether a demonstration rain garden 
could be built on Capitol Hill given all of the restrictions and rules 
that govern everything that takes place within the Capitol complex. 
Nancy took my request and ran with it. In large part, the rain garden 
is a product of her determination and doggedness in seeing it through 
to completion. I have great admiration for such perseverance and 
appreciate all that she does for me and the Senate, which she has made 
her professional home for 25 years.
  The Senate rain garden was completed on time and under budget and 
will undoubtedly contribute to a cleaner environment on Capitol Hill 
and throughout the region. I am pleased to have played a small role in 
its development.

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