Homewood Elementary School has been awarded $4,000 from the Conway Wal-Mart to install a rain garden on the campus at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 3. Fifth graders will help plant native, coastal South Carolina plants and also spread mulch throughout the garden.

Coordinated by Coastal Carolina University, this is the eighth rain garden project established through the Coastal Waccamaw Stormwater Education Consortium (CWSEC).

The rain garden is a type of stormwater best management practice designed to collect runoff water from impervious (hard) surfaces. The Homewood Elementary garden, constructed by Horry County Stormwater Department, is located near the school’s parking lot.

All the projects are funded through regional Wal-Mart stores, with the majority of the award going toward educational resources for the school, such as a weather station, water quality monitoring equipment and other hands-on activities associated with teaching the importance of watersheds and human impacts on local water bodies.

CWSEC partners will continue to provide information on watersheds and stormwater pollution to be incorporated into the school’s curriculum.

For more information, contact Karen Fuss, coordinator of the CWSEC and environmental educator with CCU's Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, at 843-349-4058 or e-mail kfuss@coastal.edu.

CWSEC is a regional collaborative effort providing stormwater education and outreach programs to meet federal requirements and satisfy local environmental and economic needs. Coastal Carolina University’s Waccamaw Watershed Academy coordinates activities within the consortium.