Berrien County Drain Commissioner Christopher Quattrin is planning to hold a ribbon cutting this month for a new rain garden his office is building in Benton Township. Quattrin told county commissioners this week the rain garden located on property by the Meijer on Pipestone Road is just about finished. His office received a $1.2 million grant for the project, and that was bolstered with a nearly $500,000 contribution from Meijer. Quattrin told us the garden is designed to reduce polluted runoff into Ox Creek.
“Particularly it was in the mall area where we have these massive seas of asphalt, and the runoff was an old design where it just directly discharges into our waterway, which is Ox Creek,” Quattrin said.”
Quattrin says a lot of Ox Creek pollution comes from the general area of the Orchards Mall, with all the huge parking lots that produce a lot of runoff. The rain garden will filter pollutants out of water as it drains down into the creek.
“It infiltrates, evaporates, is cleaned as it’s metered through the system and into our drain, which is also known as Ox Creek.”
Quattrin says Ox Creek is one of the dirtiest waterways in the state, and this rain garden will filter pollutants out of water as it drains down into the creek. When it’s finished, it will have vegetation and other features intended to filter the water. The ribbon cutting for the project will be held at 10 a.m. on September 28. Quattrin invited county commissioners to attend.
