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CAMDEN — A small, empty lot on Ferry Avenue that looks a little like a sunken tri-corner hat is easy to miss.
And yet environmentalists see it as a low-tech solution to antiquated sewer pipes in Camden that allow raw sewage to float down streets after heavy rains and seep into basements.
"Can you imagine letting your children out to play after a rain and they come home with raw sewage on their shoes, clothes, hands," Andrew Kricun said passionately.
"This is unjust. Fixing this problem is fundamental to the quality of life here and bringing the city back."
Kricun is deputy executive director of the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, which treats wastewater for the city and county. For years, CCMUA was a pariah in South Camden because of the acrid smell that wafted from the plant.
Now Kricun has a seat at the table with the city's environmentalists. He joined a panel Monday in honor of Earth Day with speakers from the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs, Cooper's Ferry Development Association and a grass-roots group from South Camden called the Camden Center for Environmental Transformation.
This week, CCMUA plans to unveil a $30 million upgrade to its 50-year-old system that its engineer promises will "significantly improve" neighborhood air quality. It also will present the city's first rain garden, a CCMUA demonstration project.
Absent billions of dollars to dig up the entire city and line it with separate stormwater and sanitary sewer systems, Kricun and other conservationists have latched onto the idea of rain gardens, strategically placed basins that catch rain water before it overflows the sewers.
The rain garden on Ferry Avenue is one of 40 that the city plans to build with a $300,000 grant from Rutgers. The difference between it and a typical retention basin is that residents and environmental groups plan to line it with water-loving trees and flowering shrubs.
This makes the role of a rain garden twofold. It soaks up water like a sponge and adds a breath of green space to gritty urban areas.
Construction on a second rain garden on the site of a former gas station on Broadway is expected to begin soon.
"It is imperative that this critical public health issue be fixed," said Kricun. "It's a matter of social justice.
"Every gallon of water we keep out of the sewers keeps another gallon of sewage from running in the streets."
Andrea Ferich, of the Center for Environmental Transformation, shared more ideas with about 30 people who attended the panel discussion sponsored by Camden County College at the Technology Center on Cooper Street.
Use less water. Collect rain water in barrels, plant rooftop gardens to absorb water and go easy on the blacktop. Instead, she said, developers should be encouraged to use only porous materials on sidewalks, playgrounds and other outdoor spaces.
Reach Eileen Stilwell at (856) 486-2464 or estilwell@gannett.com
here's part of my powerpoint from the presentation: