Eric Wood gave a very interesting talk on a topic that is becoming more and more popular as storm water management becomes a more important issue. The idea of a rain garden is to slow down the water enough to drop the impurities and debris in it so that water entering streams and waterways is cleaner.
A rain garden is not a water garden or a bog garden. It is designed for water retention for a short period of time (24 hours) so the water has a chance to percolate into the soil leaving impurities along the way and allowing cleaner water to drain out on the lower end. Sustainable rain gardens are designed to be wet today and 100% dry tomorrow.

Rob Ladner, NE Kansas Regional Law Enforcement Supt. for Kansas Dept. Wildlife & Parks gave a very interesting and entertaining program at the August TAWGS meeting. A man with a great sense of humor, Rob told many interesting stories about incidents he had encountered as a law enforcement officer for the KDWP.

Rob opened his talk with a big thank you to TAWGS members for building a water garden at the front door of the KDWP office at 300 SW Wanamaker a few years ago. He said that employees and visitors all enjoy it and they get many compliments on it.

Many people do not do their homework when they build their water gardens Deb Spencer told TAWGS members at their July meeting. "People build their ponds before planning their plants," she said. Using a slide show to demonstrate her points, Deb showed various ways to landscape in and around the pond. She said you get great landscaping ideas on pond and garden tours.

Eric Wood gave an informative program at the May TAWGS meeting about the new technology in pumps and lighting for water gardens.

"There are many reasons that a pump fails," Eric said. They may not be the right pump for the application and they perform in a harsh environment most of the time, (lots of debris, flow restriction or running dry). Up until recently, most of the pumps were designed for sewage treatment or swimming pools and were not really designed to run 24/7 under the conditions in a water garden.

"It is important to have the right pump for the right application," Eric said.