SE Stephens and 28th The recently planted rain garden and the rain chain at Colonial Heights Presbyterian were designed and installed with help from members of the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.
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SE Stephens and 28th The recently planted rain garden and the rain chain at Colonial Heights Presbyterian were designed and installed with help from members of the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.
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10th @ Hoyt The 31,000-square foot courtyard roof of this apartment building channels storm water into three copper and steel downspouts, which carry it to detention reservoirs and a 40-foot long storage cistern (think of a well, but with a wat
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10th @ Hoyt The 31,000-square foot courtyard roof of this apartment building channels storm water into three copper and steel downspouts, which carry it to detention reservoirs and a 40-foot long storage cistern (think of a well, but with a wat
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NE 11th and Knott The wheel structure on this residential downspout directs water into a fun, frog-shaped water catchment structure.
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NE 11th and Knott The wheel structure on this residential downspout directs water into a fun, frog-shaped water catchment structure.
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Kenton The home of Marina Wynton, owner of Olivine Design, is a perfect storm of…storm water management with a rain garden, eco-roof, vertical sedum box, and ceramic rain chain. Wynton has received grants for her efforts from the City of Portlan
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Kenton The home of Marina Wynton, owner of Olivine Design, is a perfect storm of…storm water management with a rain garden, eco-roof, vertical sedum box, and ceramic rain chain. Wynton has received grants for her efforts from the City of Portlan
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New Seasons Seven Corners The “Rain Man” sculpture at this New Seasons was put in six years ago when the store was built. Designed by Portlander Ivan McLean, it is made of various recycled metal objects (including a toaster), and directs water f
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New Seasons Seven Corners The “Rain Man” sculpture at this New Seasons was put in six years ago when the store was built. Designed by Portlander Ivan McLean, it is made of various recycled metal objects (including a toaster), and directs water f
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On SE Brooklyn St., Inner SE Designed by Amy Whitworth of Plan-It-Earth Design, and installed by Apogee Landscapes, this residential downspout opens onto a stone pathway, which directs water into a rain garden.
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On SE Brooklyn St., Inner SE Designed by Amy Whitworth of Plan-It-Earth Design, and installed by Apogee Landscapes, this residential downspout opens onto a stone pathway, which directs water into a rain garden.
EVERYYEAR, the average-size Portland roof sloughs off 22,500 gallons of rainwater. Downspouts send much of that flood tide straight to the sewers, which sometimes overflow into the poor Willamette River. While many Portlanders simply redirect downspouts into their yards, more creative management can provide a rare psychological victory over the vindictive Weather Gods. (You may reign o’er us—but you will never defeat our tasteful native plant gardens!) In that spirit, we salute one of the city’s most ingenious downspouts, at the N Williams Avenue headquarters of the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. Some key features:
A design by pioneering Seattle downspout artist Buster Simpson and local ecological designer Peg Butler. Simpson started designing for the Northwest’s rain in the ’70s. This two-story, 19-foot-long squiggle is made entirely of stainless steel. (Metro, the regional government, kicked in about $10,000 to fund it.) District executive director Jean Fike says the sculptural zigzag turns Portland’s pluvial challenge into a thing of beauty.
Milk pails containing native plants, including rushes, sedges, and ferns. The pails symbolize the conservation district’s rural roots. According to Butler, the buckets hark back to village-scale communal water wells and volunteer fire brigades.
A bottom bucket angled to pour into a drain that ultimately directs into a rain garden. The trench drain flows alongside a water-permeable, wheelchair-accessible walkway.
While not everyone can grab a government subsidy, the city Water Bureau does offer discounts to anyone who disconnects their downspouts from the sewer system or takes other measures. Candace Stoughton, the conservation district’s low-impact development specialist, says creative downspouts can be made of anything from bamboo to PVC piping. “Stormwater doesn’t have to be boring,” she says. “It can be exciting and artistic.”
