The original contractor for the Water Garden returned to the site in June to adjust some bottom elevations of the wetland area of the water garden.  The contractor’s work is complete, however, it will take some time for ground cover and wetland plants to reestablish themselves in the areas that were disturbed during his work.  Overall we are pleased with the adjusted elevations in the bottom of the wetland area.  

We have heard some concerns from residents about unsightly weeds along in the water garden.  You are correct in that there were a lot of tall weeds and unwanted vegetation appearing in the slopes surrounding the edge of the water garden.  Just like you, the City does not want these growing in the Water Garden.  Maintaining the vegetation within the Water Garden will be in the forefront of our minds.

The Stormwater Management Division of the Public Works Department has hired a contractor to come to the Water Garden next week (July 8-10) to remove these weeds and other unwanted vegetation from within the Water Garden.  The contractor will also be transplanting some existing vegetation within the Water Garden.  Some areas of the Water Garden have filled out very nicely with wetland vegetation.  If you visit the site, you will see frogs, butterflies, dragonflies, and lots of flowers in bloom.  The contractor will be taking some plants from some of the densely vegetated areas of the Water Garden to spread them out to some of the areas that need some more plants.  This will help the plants spread throughout the wetland areas so that we don’t have as many bare spots as we do right now.

This is still the first growing season of the vegetation within the Water Garden and some plants are doing better than others.  We hope that over the next 2 growing seasons, the plants within the Water Garden will find a happy medium and thrive throughout the garden.

We appreciate your patience with us as we perform this work in the Water Garden.

I will be out of the office all of next week, but if you have questions, please contact Mark Senior (CCed above) and he is also available at 996-3940.

Amy Moran Hathaway

Stormwater Quality Engineer

City of Raleigh Public Works Department

Raleigh Municipal Building, Room 301

222 West Hargett Street

Raleigh, NC 27601

p: 919.996.4009

c: 919.278.6960

f: 919.996.7633

www.raleighnc.gov/stormwater