by Mary Rupert
Residents of Welborn Lake, near 48th and Leavenworth Road, planted a rain garden today to control erosion and are planning more improvements next week.
The residents heard a presentation today from David Dods, an environmental scientist, on how rain gardens prevent erosion by filtering the water runoff from the street. He also handed out information to the residents about rain gardens, native plants and preventing erosion.
Then residents planted several varieties of native plants around Welborn Lake’s edge.
Helen Ann Caples, a resident of the area, said on Monday, a company will remove the duckweed from the surface of Welborn Lake and then treat it with chemicals. The process will take place in three stages, she said, on three days.
Residents in the Welborn Lake area formed the Welborn Lake group a few years ago in order to take care of the lake, which is privately owned by the residents.
The Welborn Lake group received a $3,000 grant from the Unified Government, under Livable Neighborhoods, in order to provide the funding for the rain garden presentation and to clean up Welborn Lake, Caples said.
The stormwater educational grant will help educate the residents on erosion control and improve water quality, she said. The effort also is bringing people together, she added.
“A lot of neighbors are coming together to work with the lake,” Caples said.
