Holy Cross Catholic Church in Mt. Airy has transformed its campus to address runoff and flooding issues.
The project, part of a major stormwater management project, involves installing underground infrastructure to redirect thousands of gallons of runoff water. It includes two subsurface stormwater infiltration basins and several rain gardens.
“The savings in water costs is beneficial, but more importantly since the area is known to flood in heavy rains, the new stormwater management system will help mitigate some of that with the increase of permeable surfaces throughout the …
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Holy Cross Catholic Church in Mt. Airy has transformed its campus to address runoff and flooding issues.
The project, part of a major stormwater management project, involves installing underground infrastructure to redirect thousands of gallons of runoff water. It includes two subsurface stormwater infiltration basins and several rain gardens.
“The savings in water costs is beneficial, but more importantly since the area is known to flood in heavy rains, the new stormwater management system will help mitigate some of that with the increase of permeable surfaces throughout the campus,” said Steve Monheim, project liaison and parishioner at Holy Cross. “Additionally, native plants and vegetation planted will promote a more natural ecosystem with added green space, instead of merely an asphalt parking lot.”
Thomas Halliwell, principal engineer at Grist, LLC and manager of the grant, said the project will capture and infiltrate more than 1.3 million gallons of rainwater annually.
The improvements stem from a grant awarded by the Philadelphia Water Department through its Stormwater Management Improvement Program. After two amendments, the grant has exceeded $1 million.
The project's roots trace back to 2018 when Holy Cross received a grant from the Community Design Collaborative of Philadelphia. This led to community meetings and the development of a campus sustainability master plan in 2020.
Goals of the project include maximizing onsite stormwater capture, decreasing stormwater management charges by up to 80%, improving campus green space, and providing education on Green Stormwater Infrastructure.
Construction began in May 2024 for the project, which includes two subsurface stormwater infiltration basins managing runoff from street right-of-way and most of the campus parking lots and driveways. A large rain garden behind the school and convent will manage some parking lot runoff and help establish more orderly traffic flow.
Four smaller rain gardens will manage runoff from existing rooftops. The project also includes repaving the parking lot and driveways above the basins, new curbs, landscaped areas, and painted striping to refresh the campus appearance.
