D.C.s Tifereth Israel waits for new rain garden to bloom

By Mark Jenkins February 25 at 9:55 AM

Blanketed under a few inches of snow, the new rain garden at Tifereth Israel doesnt look like much. Thats partially because the garden borders the side and rear of the Shepherd Park synagogue, not its 16th Street frontage. But its also because the water-loving new plantings havent started to bloom.

Unfortunately, it got put in at the very end of the season. It will be fun to see it burst forth in flower this spring, said Ethan Seidel, the congregations rabbi.

The garden, designed to absorb and filter water that would otherwise go directly to the citys sewer system, is a project of the synagogues environmental committee. Carla Ellern, one of the committees members, said the group has been trying to do a rain garden for a very long time.

Ellern is a landscape architect who works for Montgomery Countys RainScapes program, which has the same basic goals as the Districts RiverSmart initiatives. The program offers incentives to communities, congregations and businesses to take steps to reduce stormwater pollution.

Ellern took courses at the Anacostia Watershed Societys Watershed Stewards Academy, and that connected the dots for me about where I should be putting my energies, she said. It just seemed like a no-brainer that we should be doing something here at the synagogue.

It fits within the ethos of our congregation, which is very much focused on environmental issues, Seidel said.

The project began with a $1,000 grant from Hazon, a nonprofit Jewish organization that supports sustainable communities. The next stop was the D.C. Department of the Environment, which provided a $65,000 grant.

I think were the first synagogue or religious organization, period to do it, Ellern said. The city wanted to do it, but we were kind of the guinea pig.

The three varieties of permeable paving used in the project were more expensive than the committee expected, and working with existing buildings is more complicated than installing rain-capture features in new construction. Ultimately, the synagogue went back to the city for an additional $17,000.

Originally posted here:
D.C.s Tifereth Israel waits for new rain garden to bloom